Go wild
Your guide to getting closer to nature this month
BBC TWO
Autumnwatch will be airing from 25th October. Catch up on iPlayer.
TV HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH
Settle in and enjoy Autumnwatch
BBC Two and iPlayer from 25th October
AUTUMN IS UPON US, WITH ITS COOL temperatures and shorter days. And that means just one thing – it’s time for Autumnwatch. Hitting our screens for four days at the end of October, the team will once again be bringing us the best of the UK’s autumnal spectacles.
This year, the programme has an overarching theme of The Changing Face of Autumn, with the team examining the impact of climate change on our wildlife. After a summer of heatwaves and wildfires, how have our animals and plants fared – and what does this mean for the future?
Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan will be returning to Wild Ken Hill in Norfolk. Once a traditional farm, it’s now being rewilded and they will be on the lookout for small mammals and winter migrants, such as redwings and fieldfares. Part of the farm suffered from wildfires this year – they’ll see how it’s recovering.
Over in Wales, Iolo Williams and Gillian Burke will be at Teifi Marshes Nature Reserve and Cardigan Bay looking for murmurating starlings, wildfowl, otters, deer and bottlenose dolphins.
Plus, there’ll be plenty of pre-filmed stories, mindful moments and live cameras to enjoy.
MEET THE RESEARCHER
Lucy Hodson
The naturalist and prop-maker extraordinaire tells us about working behind-the-scenes on Autumnwatch
How did you first get involved with The Watches?
I’d been a fan since I was a teenager, so it was a dream to be involved! In 2019, I volunteered at the RSPB’s Loch Garten Nature Centre whilst Springwatch was based there. I met some of the team and got to know a bit about the setup, as well as seeing some incredible wildlife. I secured a workfrom-home role during lockdown in 2020 – it all snowballed from there.
What’s your role on Autumnwatch?
My role is as a junior researcher, and any day on The Watches can be completely different. I work onsite on the live shows, so it’s all very fast-paced. Each day I’ll be in touch with the team about any props needed for that night’s episode – we’ll discuss how we might communicate a topic or species in prop form, and how I might go about making it. As well as getting crafty with paint and glue (and bubbles…) I’ll also bumble around the site looking out for good wildlife stories.
At Wild Ken Hill it’s been great getting to know the lay of the land, exploring the marsh, the fields, the woods and the heath for wildlife that might be good to showcase in the show.
How do you go about thinking up all the props?
I’ve always been a very crafty person, so I’m in my element in front of a box of cardboard scraps, paints and glue. I chat with the research team about props for each episode, and how it might look or work. Sometimes I have a week or two’s notice, other times we come up with some last-minute ideas just hours before we go live!
When making a prop, I like to know the stories behind each species: what exactly are we trying to communicate? It’s lots of fun when you’re showing things like rhynchokinesis (through the bending of a snipe’s beak) or the pheromone release of springtails. Bringing a bit of informality, humour and hands-on to the show helps connect people with the species!
What happens to the props afterwards?
Props tend to have one of two destinies – they’re either claimed by a team member or visitor (kids groups visiting the set love them) or I’ll recycle them into another episode’s props. I pride myself on my scraps and bits-and-bobs collection. Hoarding little pieces of leftover materials always comes in useful when you need something for a prop emergency!
RADIOSHOW OF THE MONTH
Wild Inside
Listen on BBC Sounds
Following on from last year’s three episodes (ocean sunfish, Burmese python and jaguar), evolutionary biologist Ben Garrod and expert veterinary surgeon Jess French return to undertake dissections of ethically-sourced animals for BBC Radio 4. In these two new episodes, the pair are opening up a female cheetah and a great grey owl to investigate what makes them unique and adapted to survive. How can the cheetah run so fast and how does the owl hunt silently amongst the boreal forest? This series is fascinating, but definitely not for the squeamish.
CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE MONTH
The Secret World of Plants
By Ben Hoare, Published by DK, £20
WITH OVER A THIRD OF THE WORLD’S plants under threat, it’s never too early to inspire the next generation with the magic of the plant kingdom. And, as BBC Wildlife regular Ben Hoare expertly demonstrates in his latest sumptuously illustrated book for younger readers, there’s a lot of magic to marvel at.
We begin with leaves – what they are, how they work, and how they have evolved since the earliest plants first sprouted some 500 million years ago. Simple, clear presentation means you get to the heart of the matter in an instant, and examples of different species are used cleverly to demonstrate the diversity of plant life in the UK and around the world.
But its through looking at the many ways plants defend themselves, how they move and the myriad other remarkable things they do that the layers of plant complexity are revealed. Be warned – if you buy this for one of the youngsters in your life, they’re going to have to prise the book out of your hands first.
BOOK HIGHLIGHT
The Book of Vanishing Species
By Beatrice Forshall. Bloomsbury, £25
THE HAND-COLOURED, DRYPOINT engravings of artist and writer Beatrice Forshall form the backbone of The Book of Vanishing Creatures, inspired by her time as artist-inresidence with the Cambridge Conservation Initiative between 2017 and 2019. Some of her prints remain on permanent exhibition in the building.
Shepays tribute to some of the planet’s most unusual creatures and plants, whose histories extend back for generations but whose future remains uncertain. It is particularly poignant that during the researching and writing of this book, 111 species were declared extinct, some of whom feature within its pages.
It acts as a poignant reminder of the insecurity of our planet and the impact that humans are having on our cohabitants. Forshall might not have a scientific background, but her poetic, human perspective and unique artistry are incredibly moving – and backed by in-depth fact-checking by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The Book of Vanishing Species is both a celebration of our world and an urgent call to action.
BOOKS ROUND UP
Ocean: Exploring the Marine World
Phaidon Press Ltd, £34.94
Enjoy more than 300 stunning images of the world’s oceans and seas. Underwater photographs appear alongside scientific illustrations, Japanese woodblock prints, ancient Roman mosaics, early nautical cartography and contemporary artworks in this beautiful, large format book.
Remembering Bears
By Wildlife Photographers United. Remembering Wildlife, £44.99
The seventh title in the Remembering Wildlife series, which raises money for conservation by asking leading photographers to donate their images for free. This title, whose proceeds will go towards bear conservation projects, features all eight species of bears.
Our Place in Nature
Edited by Zachary Seager Pan MacMillian, £10.99
At a moment in history where the environment feels under greater threat than ever before, this volume of essays – by some of the canon’s most enduring writers, including Rachel Carson and John Muir – offers a soothing balm. An ideal gift for the literary-minded nature lover in your life, or just a treat to dip into yourself.
London in the Wild
By London Wildlife Trust Octopus Publishing Group, £15.99
Explore the wildlife and wild places of London in this new book from London Wildlife Trust. It celebrates the 40th anniversary of the charity’s inauguration in 1981, and features writing from staff and volunteers, and friends and allies of the charity, plus a foreword by Chris Packham.
ID GUIDE
Fabulous fungi
Autumn is the peak time for finding fungi. The three illustrated below are all distinctive species and can be found in woodlands. For more ID guides, visit our website: discoverwildlife.com/identify-wildlife.
PURPLE JELLYDISC
This weird-looking gelatinous mass is mainly found on the trunks and branches of dead beech trees.
YELLOW STAGSHORN
A striking species with antler-like forking branches, this fungi grows on rotten logs and stumps.
LILAC BONNET
Also known as lilac bellcap, this fungi can be found growing in woodlands and some grasslands.
MEET THE VOLUNTEER
“I do it because I really care about hedgehogs”
Luke Alexander Wilkin has been surveying hedgehogs and picking up litter on campus
Whilst attending The Sheffield College, Luke Alexander Wilkin has become involved with volunteering for the Hedgehog Friendly Campus, a national programme funded by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) to support young people in education to make positive changes for hedgehogs and other wildlife.
What does your volunteering involve?
As a volunteer for the Hedgehog Friendly Campus, I have been involved in footprint surveys, celebrating Hedgehog Awareness Week and doing lots of litter-picking around the college grounds. There are 20 of us from the Supported Work Skills and Independent Living Skills groups volunteering for the Hedgehog Friendly Campus. Many of us have learning difficulties such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia.
This year, I am taking part in the Big Hog-Friendly Litter Pick Challenge. This is a brilliant eco-friendly competition run by the BHPS, with school, college and university teams competing to collect the most litter from around their communities. When my team took part last year, we came in second place! Around two million pieces of litter are dropped in the UK every single day, so our actions will help to prevent hedgehogs from getting caught up in it and injuring themselves.
Why do you volunteer?
I volunteer to give hedgehogs the best chance of survival and to encourage people to care about a safe and clean environment for hedgehogs, other wildlife and ourselves. This volunteering has given me a better understanding of the environment in general and the impacts that humans have on it. It has also been a great opportunity to gain some work skills and experience, such as working with other people and communication. But mainly, I just really care for hedgehogs!
What is your proudest moments from your time volunteering?
My proudest moments volunteering so far include our team being the runners-up in last year’s Big Hog-Friendly Litter Pick Challenge, and winning a Bronze Hedgehog Friendly Campus award this year. We’re hoping to go on to achieve a Silver award this year!
5 THINGS WE LOVE
1 Under the Sea cushion £14, marksandspencer.com
2 Burford bat box, £29.99, shopping.rspb.org.uk
3 Geometric whale hoodie, £40, mcsshop.org.uk
4 Wildlife coasters, £6.50 each, avelingartworks.com
5 Moon gazing hare embroidery kit, £22.99, paraffleembroidery.com
