Goldfinches on sunny autumn day at Daneway Banks

We went to Daneway Banks this afternoon with a flask of hot water to make tea, a blanket, cameras, and Helena had her latest novel which she is keen to finish. I'd wondered if the butterflies which the Banks are famous for would still be there, but I only saw two.

We sat on the top of the banks halfway up the hillside above the Daneway pub, which was built by the remains of the old Thames and Severn canal. The steep valley is covered with thick woodlands except for the banks which are now nature reserve. As we sat on the grass I heard then saw a green woodpecker cross the valley and fly up into an ash tree. A buzzard glided a few feet above the nearby trees before heading across to the far side of the valley. Not long after it flew back and prowled over the canopy of the adjacent woods.

I heard some birds singing and recognised the twittering of goldfinches.  Looking up I spotted a few perched on the flowers of the thistles whose seeds were flying away in the breeze. I then tried to approach them as they fed together but as I neared them they flew away up into an ash tree.

Helena made tea for us and we lazed in the sun realising how lucky we were. We knew that tonight on TV the BBC would be showing the latest film of Laurie Lee's autobiographical 'Cider with Rosie' which portrays his early life in the village of Slad, about three miles north of Stroud.  The filming had happened in the village of Miserden, because it was less modernised than Slad, which lies only three miles further up the Frome valley from where we were now lying resplendently.

I heard the twittering chatter of goldfinches again and turned to see a charm of them flying into a hawthorn tree just a few yards away.  I tried to approach them slowly with my camera but they flew off. I snapped this shot a second too late.

We returned home feeling very pleased to have enjoyed such a wonderful autumnal afternoon. Unfortunately a flurry of emails has meant I had to quickly turn into serious mode and do some more work to get ready for the week ahead.