Wildlife & Plants In the UK

October

Brown October brings the last…

Wildlife

The summer visitors amongst the bird populations start to head off south to Africa. While insect populations begin to decline, remaining as caterpillars and pupae during the following cold months.

What to See	Where to See and comment	What it looks like
Deer	The rutting season begins where stags compete for hinds by fighting each other with their antlers.
Redwings	return from the north
Fieldfares	return from the north
Red Squirrels Squirrels and How to Photograph Them	Undergo their autumn moult and their coats become these deep red, tails fill out and their little tufty ears reappear. If you want to see them then take a look at Where to photograph Red Squirrels for places in the UK. Red Squirrel Week takes place this month, see diary for details.
Geese Barnacle Goose Brent Goose Pink Footed Goose White Fronted Goose Canada Goose Greylag Goose	The big migration of Winter Migrants makes a start this month, with geese returning to our shores and wetland reserves, from their breeding grounds. Picture - Pink Footed Goose
Swans Whooper Swan Bewick Swan	Swans also start to return to our shores in small numbers which gradually build over the coming months. Picture - Bewick's Swan
Toads	Hibernate under rocks and stones
Frogs	Go to the bottom of a pond or a protected place

Plantlife

The start of autumn is here and the trees in our woodlands and roadsides start to reveal their autumn colours, quite suddenly if there’s a sharp frost.

What to See	Where to See and comment	What it looks like
Mushrooms	Fruiting bodies carpet the woodland floor Picture - Fly Agaric
Toadstools	Look out for fairy rings formed by toadstools in grassland
Beefsteak fungus	on oak and chestnut trees
Beech trees
Oak trees
Maple trees
Horse Chestnut trees	Watch out for conkers. See the October diary for the World Conker Championships details.
Ash trees
Old man’s beard	spreads like a blanket over hedgerows
Hedgerows	fruits and berries continue to provide food for birds

See Also

For a more in depth look at Wildlife Photography in October.

Other species can be found listed in the Wildlife Section or within the topic index under

Wildlife and Animals
Nature, Flora and Countryside
Wildlife & Nature within the reference section

By: Tracey Park	Section: Diary	Key:
Page Ref: wildlife_diary_10	Topic:	Last Updated: 09/2012

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