September Journal: Shifts in Season
2nd September
The month began with heavy showers and gusty winds. After weeks of parched soil, the land finally drank in the water it needed. Horse chestnut leaves are already crisping to terracotta, their branches heavy with conkers. Summer still lingers but autumn is readying itself.
Today we also welcomed Valentino, our Longhorn bull. Calm but commanding, he was once a show bull, accustomed to halters and rings. Now he has the cows’ attention, leading them on curious routes across the land while we adjust fencing and gates to keep groups separate.
4th September
Valentino has settled in. Despite his size, he’s sweet-tempered and steady. The cows follow him faithfully - even as he chooses odd detours through the rewilding fields. Watching the herd fall into step behind him feels like a new rhythm for the land.
10th September
The rain has transformed the ground. Fresh shoots of grass push through where brittle stubble stood all summer. The field scorched by wildfire just over two weeks ago is greening again. The blaze was short and low intensity, burning only grass and leaving ash rich in calcium, magnesium and potassium. The soil has responded well, fertility boosted rather than diminished. What could have been a setback is shaping into renewal.
13th September
A Hen Harrier was seen wheeling over the estate, our first since the rewilding project began. On the red list for conservation, they are rare in England and usually linked with upland habitats. This slim raptor with its owl-like face and distinctive flight is a special sight here. A few days later, another was spotted again - a hopeful sign.
16th September
The hedgerows and orchards are abundant. Apples, pears, sloes, blackberries, elderberries, hawthorn berries, rosehips - all at once. Oaks are heavy with acorns, chestnuts are dropping conkers and hazelnuts scatter underfoot. 2025 has revealed itself as a mast year: that remarkable cycle when trees across the country produce bumper crops in unison, ensuring seeds escape the foragers to sprout anew. Jays and squirrels are already caching acorns, unknowingly planting next Spring’s trees.
20th September
The fungi have arrived. Rain has coaxed them up overnight: inkcaps (snowy, hare’s foot, pleated and shaggy), chicken of the woods on willow trunks and clusters of grey oyster mushrooms thriving on fallen branches left deliberately as habitat. The diversity is striking, though some species are not easily distinguished - parasol and false parasol mushrooms dot the fields, a reminder of the fine line between food and danger.
22nd September
Summer tries to make a return. Clear skies and still air bring warm days of 19 degrees, though mornings verge on frost. The grass is greener than it has been in months. Speckled Wood butterflies bask on leaves. The cows graze contentedly, often carrying magpies on their backs - an image more reminiscent of Africa than Gloucestershire.
26th September
A lone roe deer browsed fallen apples in the orchard at dawn. We watched each other for only seconds before he melted back into the undergrowth but the moment carried its own quiet weight.
30th September
While counting cattle today, a Cattle Egret was seen moving among them - perching on their backs, darting down to snatch worms and insects then returning to its living vantage point. Slightly smaller than the Little Egret and on the Amber conservation list (it’s our first sighting here).
We also reviewed trail camera footage from our badger sett ahead of National Badger Day. The recordings show badgers tumbling and playing, full of energy & full of life. Another reminder of the richness returning to the estate as the seasons turn.
