Autumn is just around the corner

The gorgeous weather of summer has been with us today, but as you can see from the photo - autumn is just around the corner. The Rowan berries are turning colour, the Raspberries are hanging jewel-like from their stems and the grasses, which have been wonderful all summer, are turning gold and fawn with their ripe seed heads. All around seeds are ripening. The thistles are turning from purple to tufts of downy white and the sloes have formed on the Blackthorn.

There were 350 birds trapped yesterday on the ringing course, which is a record for this site. Today has been another exceptional day. 2 Tufted Duck were ringed on the wet meadows area. They have bred here for the first time. Also among the catch were 2 Kingfishers and 1 Snipe.

Members of Durham Wildlife Trust Photography group came for a visit today. They were to be seen all around the site, cameras and large lens in hand as they snapped everything from the birds and the ringers to flowers and insects.

John from Rushcliffe Country Park and his friend Jim came for a visit on their way to Teesdale. They had a lovely walk around in the summer sunshine. The volunteers from Rushcliffe came earlier in the year and had recommended them to come for a visit. John is a volunteer at his site which is on an old army factory base.