Enstone Eco - September 2026 Newsletter

Ian Cave
21 hours ago
2 min read

The year has started to turn a corner. Mornings will become cooler, the hedgerows are getting heavy with berries, and the swallows and house martins are gathering on the wires, getting ready for their long journey south.

🌸 What's Out There Right Now

The headline sighting this month is a real treat! Andrea reported a Spotted Flycatcher in her garden, a bird she hadn't seen there in 40 years. These summer visitors are becoming increasingly scarce in the UK, so to have one drop in is genuinely special. If you've never seen one, they have a lovely habit of darting out from a perch to snatch an insect mid-air and then returning to the same spot.

There was also a hummingbird hawk-moth spotted in the village, and we managed to get a photo of it. These day-flying moths hover at flowers just like a tiny hummingbird, wings beating so fast they blur. They migrate up from southern Europe, and warm late-summer days are the perfect time to spot them.

Keep your eyes open over the coming weeks for the first flushes of fungi, ripe blackberries and hawthorn berries in the hedges.

📅 Upcoming Events

Riverfly monitoring

Wednesday 16 September

Regular monitoring session, all welcome.

WaterBlitz on the Heythrop Stream

Monday 21 September, 10am

Join Dawn to sample our local stream. No experience needed.

🎥 Sustainable Chipping Norton — "Hope!" Film Night

Tuesday 29 September, 6:15pm, Glyme Hall

Come along to an uplifting film about some of the real solutions to climate change. There'll be an AGM and refreshments beforehand. Volunteers are needed, so please put it in your diary if you can lend a hand. Book your tickets here: tinyurl.com/Hope3SCN

📸 Photo Submissions

Thank you to Kate, Carol and David for their great photos this month! Funghi, Swallows at Furlong Farm and Dragonflies at the river!

📸 Photos of the Month

👀 Keep Looking!

Early autumn is one of the best times to be outdoors, so make the most of it. Whether it's a rare flycatcher, a hovering moth, or just a seed stuck to your sock, there's always something worth noticing. Do keep sending in your sightings and photos, and we hope to see plenty of you at the WaterBlitz and the film night.

With warm wishes,

Enstone Eco