Animals in autumn - as captured by Villager Jim

Deer seen around the gardens of Chatsworth. Pictures: Ross Parry Agency

THE fact that summer’s rays may be finally fading for another year is enough to make most glum but a stunning series of photographs from an amateur photographer have shown what true beauty the Autumnal period can bring.

Nature enthusiast, known only as ‘Villager Jim’, spends every morning capturing the wildlife around his home in Foolow, Derbyshire, but said he could feel the seasons had changed when he ventured out earlier today.

Villager Jim, 49, said: “I’m out every single day of my life and today was the first real day of Autumn for me.

“The area is just teeming with wildlife and that’s what makes it great.

“It’s the most wonderful thing to see first thing in the morning and I’m out every day just before dawn, whatever time that may be.

“The mist gets right down below the horizon and sits along the ground. It makes everything a little more magical.”

An array of animals appeared from their habitats to greet the new day this morning, from buzzards to owls and cows to an extended partridge family.

A mob of deer frolicked in front of Chatsworth House and a quaint Derbyshire hamlet found itself cloaked in a thick mist.

He also managed to capture the sun rising on a sleepy September morning through a delicate daybreak mist.

“It’s a nice sight as the animals can feel something is in the air so they gather together,” said Villager Jim.

“It’s so nice to see something which no-one else sees. You wouldn’t see a wild stag in the daytime, and that’s what gets my heart going.

“I think they have got used to me being there as they just get on with their daily business, and they look really beautiful against a backdrop of autumnal colours.

“It’s just me out there with the animals, and that is what I love.

“It’s a special time for me everyday.”

The forecast for this week remains relatively warms with temperatures in the region of 15 degrees expected to prevail for the rest of the week.