Today is the beginning of the Autumn Equinox when the light and night are of equal lengths. Excitingly, for those of us who like colder weather and yes, we do exist, the fresher winds feel like an invitation to celebrate the year’s turning.
In Iceland the first snows have fallen on Mount Esja, not far from Reykjavik and clearly visible from it. Birds will be leaving for the South and many will have already left.
One of the most moving sights I’ve seen was one early October on the south coast of Iceland. One hundred or so swans were flying over the mountains on their way to Caerlaverock and other sites in Dumfriesshire – as it turned out. Their arrival was important enough to feature on the news, serendipitously and oddly timed with my own arrival home five days later to watch that news and find out I’d seen them leaving.
The sound of all those wings is unforgettable. Brave, beautiful birds.
Resident at Carlingwark Loch, Castle Douglas.
Diary of a Cold Spell 
What an wonderful thing to have experienced Silvana, and to know the swans were leaving for the same part of the world as you and flying under their own amazing, incredible strength and navigation. It never ceases to amaze me, bird migration.
And Happy Birthday to you, very special lady 😀 Xxxx
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Thank you Meg, it was a strange feeling to find out later that’s where they were going. My jaw actually dropped and I didn’t think that people’s jaws did that despite the saying. All the best to you and thanks hugely for remembering it was my birthday.
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