Boddington Reservoir - Autumnal mist and Small Copper

An added bonus of early morning birding is the opportunities it gives you to see the landscape as it "wakes-up", sometimes with spectacular blankets of mist across the valley bottoms and beautiful light effects as the sunshine starts to break through.  Last week we had one of those special mornings:

 

There is a good vantage point on a hill between the villages of Chipping Warden and Byfield, in south Northamptonshire.  It is a slightly awkward place to pull off the A361 but it is worth the trouble when the conditions are right. 

 

Looking west across the low-lying land below Lower Boddington, a "lake " of mist has suddenly appeared, from which large trees protrude, recalling a scene from a rainforest documentary.  In the distance, the Burton Dassett Hills help frame the view. 

At Boddington Reservoir the scene is no less spectacular:

As the sun warms the hedgerow, a Small Copper rests to soak up the sun - a perfect match for the autumnal colours of the brambles.