Hello nature lovers!
Just a short note this month, as Margaret and I have been away on holiday for a week in September. Also, the lousy weather in August did not encourage much nature watching!
The birds have been very quiet, both before and after our holiday. They are still resting up after the breeding season, and their annual moult. However, there are still some swallows and martins about; I saw twenty or so down at Tuck Mill yesterday, September 15th. The 
young birds were sitting on the telephone wires, being fed by their parents. They will soon be off to Africa, when the days become cooler. We saw a lot in Europe, together with their larger relatives, the swifts, which were screaming overhead. Amongst them were a few alpine swifts, which are white underneath and black on their backs and wings.
It’s been a good year for butterflies. According to the results of the ‘Big Butterfly Count’, the most common butterfly seen in the UK is the peacock. There were 
certainly lots round here, but even more small tortoiseshells. Both species are lovely butterflies. There have not been as many whites this year.
The autumn is the time of much change in the bird world. We lose our summer visitors, but we gain lots of birds from the north, places like Scandinavia and Russia, lots of wildfowl, waders, wild swans and geese, so there’s lots to look forward to.
Alan Jones
