Natural seasonal spectacles help brighten the shorter, chillier days, says Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust
During October, the autumn sunshine can still make the days feel relatively warm and we have certainly enjoyed unusually high temperatures this month, writes Erin McDaid, of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust
As we turn the calendar page over to November, we pretty much know it is time to dig out your winter coat, but despite the falling temperatures and shorter days, the month can still deliver wonderful natural delights to brighten your day and, more importantly, your mood.
As sources of natural food begin to dwindle after the bumper early autumn bounty, regular favourites should gradually return to your bird table — possibly accompanied by some more unusual visitors such lesser redpoll and siskin.
Another welcome seasonal delight is the sight is flocks of charming long-tailed tits flitting from garden to garden in search of sustenance. It is also well worth looking out for overwintering blackcaps, which love to feast on fat balls.
While blackcaps that bred in the UK over the summer will now most likely have departed for locations further south to spend the winter, others arrive from Eastern and Central Europe to fill the gap and many will look to UK gardens for winter respite.
Away from gardens, farmland can be a great place to look out for mixed flocks of finches that might include chaffinch, brambling and goldfinch; and when out in the countryside be alert to the prospect of large flocks of fieldfare and redwing.
An estimated one million birds travel across the North Sea to feed on crops of berries here in the UK each year, and when food becomes harder to find in the countryside, both species are likely to turn up in gardens.
Shrubs such as ubiquitous cotoneaster, with their profusion of berries, will be a favourite, as will any windfall apples and pears that remain on lawns or in small orchards.
With bird migration in full swing, wetland sites such as our Besthorpe, Skylarks, Idle Valley and Attenborough nature reserves, will see increased numbers of ducks, geese and waders — making them an ideal place to head for a spot of wildlife watching.
Another species that often gathers at wetland sites, and unquestionably provides one of the best winter wildlife spectacles, is the starling.
Numbers continue to build through early winter with flocks numbering in the tens and even hundreds of thousands.
The experience of seeing a large flock, or murmuration, of starlings flying in formation before descending to roost amongst a reed bed really is one to savour — and should definitely be on every nature watcher’s wildlife ‘bucket lists’.
Birds are not the only ones keeping busy as autumn gives way to winter. Family frictions among foxes reaches a peak and cubs will be encouraged to move on by frustrated parents.
As the breeding cycle starts over once again, many adult males will also be seeking out new mates and territories — so now is a good time to listen hear the first screaming fox mating calls of the season.
Hedgehogs, one of the few UK mammals to hibernate, will be looking for safe, dry places they can spend the winter — so do check any bonfires before lighting them and carefully check any leaf piles before spreading or moving them using tools such as shovels and forks.
If you are lucky enough to know you’ve still got hedgehogs in your area, it is worth considering buying or building a hedgehog home. This simple action could provide a lifeline for a species that has really struggled in recent years.
You can also team up with neighbours to create hedgehog highways by cutting holes in fences and making a network of gardens more hedgehog friendly
Like hedgehogs, hazel dormice hibernate over winter and will have been busy putting on weight to see them through. Whilst checking nest boxes in one of our north Notts woodlands recently, our friends at the Nottinghamshire Dormouse Group recorded a dormouse tipping the scales at 34g –– just 4g off the local record. This should give ‘Chunky McChunkface’, as he has been nicknamed, a great chance of surviving until spring.
Many small mammals such as wood mice and bank voles, which do not have the option of hibernating, will be busy searching out food to stock their larders to help through the challenging colder months when food gets scarce.
Stay Connected:
Details of all Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust events, our nature reserve and updates on current campaigns and ways in which you can help create a wilder Nottinghamshire can be found at nottinghamshirewildlife.org
Over the next few weeks, we have a fascinating range of talks, exhibitions and activities across the county. On Thursday, November 3, our Newark Local group will host a talk at Newark Library entitled about how the Wildlife Trust is Creating a Wilder Nottinghamshire. On Friday 4th our South Notts Group will host an online talk by David Chapman about the Birds of Cornwall and on Saturday, November 5, our friends from Viking Optics will host a ‘try before you buy’ session at Attenborough Nature Reserve, giving you an opportunity to test out a range of binoculars and wildlife watching telescopes in field conditions.