Thanks for watching!
Just to say a huge thank you to everyone who watched the programme last night - over four million of you! After all the hard work everyone's put in it is really great to know that you tuned in to enjoy the show. I thought Bill and Kate did a splendid job, despite a few technical problems, while Simon and Gordon brought some of our favourite creatures, deer and seals, to our screens again.
So what's in tonight's show? Well, the red squirrel assault course makes its first proper appearance, with the reds successfully completing a couple of relatively simple tests. The jury's still out as to whether they will bother with the more complicated stuff, especially as there is so much abundant natural food available on the island. But we do know that grey squirrels seem to do these assault courses for what looks very much like fun - so maybe our reds will want to have a go too!
As the north wind blows, and the weather gets pretty chilly, the lagoon is hotting up! Up to 500 avocets are feeding in front of the hides, while the black-tailed godwits are spending part of their time on the lagoon and the rest feeding around the main harbour. Brent geese numbers are on the up, while two spoonbills dropped in today - these huge, yellowish-white birds stand around at the back of the lagoon, occasionally showing the famous spatula-like bill which gives the species its name.
Tonight's show will also bring us an update of some of your favourite characters from Springwatch, including Hannibal the barn owl, and the Penshorpe swallows. Gordon will send us another live report from the Farnes (weather permitting!), while Simon is spending his last day at Petworth House, where he'll be revealing the secrets of the fallow deer rut.
So tune in at 8pm, and I hope you enjoy the show - do let me know your verdict!
Stephen
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~04~RS~)
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dont worry i'll be watching!
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looking forward to it! 5 mins to go!
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i mean 1 hour 5 mins sorry
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The autumnwatch show encouraged me to start hedgehog watching (thats where i got my name) and i made a house for a hedgehog i found outside and i put a waterproof camera next to it and hooked it up to the tv now i can see the hedgehog coming out at night and eating the ffod i leave out for him. i have also seen a grass snake and a field mouse.
thanks!
clare
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Grey Squirrels eat oine cones down to the central core. Bill Oddie implied yesterday that this was only a characteristic of Red Squirrels. Come on Bill - get your facts right if you are going to present this type of programme!
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sorry about the typo. - for oine cones please read pine cones!
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love autumn watch can't wait for next show
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great programme.. is it true that there are no rabbits on Brownsea Island?
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Great programme... Is it true that there are no rabbits on Brownsea Island? When we visited recently we saw animal droppings that looked like rabbits, if not rabbits what could it have been?
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Yet again another great show over! looking forward to tomorrow!
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Any chance of seeing the wood ants of Brownsea Island while you are there? They are fascinating creatures.
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Hi kate / Bill, Just a very quick THANK YOU for such a wonderful programme. Long may it continue, it's worth every penny of the Tv licence, fantastic.
I built a feeder station in our rear garden, we now have blue tits, finches, green woodpecker, robins, collered doves, and of course the wood pecker, all Gods creatures.
Please keep up with the programme.
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Great to have Autumn Watch back and updates on Springwatch favourites too! I live on the edge of a city but have foxes come to my garden as well as a big range of birds. They all lift the spirits.
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I was watching intensely to the program, I really enjoyed it, you're a great team!
I was wondering for some time about the bee situation and you updated me tonight. It's a shame about the lack of bees but if anyone wants bees, we have alot in our chimney, I think they've been there for more than 5 years. We have a oil heating pipe that runs up the centre of the chimney so they are "comfortable" all the year round. We saw the arrival of the queen this year with a huge swarm that covered the whole top of the chimney, which by the way, isn't used except for the heating pipe.
If anyone knows how to get "rid" of them or wants to have them, they are welcome to come and "collect" them.
We never see them leave but they must if they return!
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Autumnwatch back :-)
I loved tonights show especially the seal films and Simons ( as usual ) excellent coverage of the Fallow deer rut..All a great insight into these wonderful animals.
Kate was her usual bright and cheerful self but Bill, and I am a fan, is really beginning to grate on my nerves.
He seemed completely at odds with peoples blog names and was constantly making ridiculous comments..
I would like to remind him that these wonderful people are the ones that send in brilliant footage and photos that they can use with no recompense and are the ones that support and watch the show !!
So keep your spirits up Kate, I saw in your face tonight at the end of the show that you were almost at wits end...
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Fabulous, now I know that my goldfinches/robins/tits didn't take the hump or a vacation at someone else's feeders last month they were just at nature's beauty parlour!!
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I have a new feeder station. It is being put to the test, not by the usual visitors which do use it, but by pheasants who jump on it to feed at breakfast time. Is this a first? I expect not.
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My six-year old is a great fan of Autumn Watch and really looks forward to the treat of being allowed to stay up and watch the programme.
However, last night's item about bees, especially the part about plant life disappearing after 4 years without bees, reduced him to tears. He had nightmares last night and his first words this morning were "Are we all going to die?" I am sure he was not the only child watching.
The end of the item was drowned out by his crying, but I don't think anything hopeful was mentioned. What can I tell him? How can he help the bees? Is there anything someone from Autumn Watch can say to comfort him? Preferably without ridiculing his fears.
Thanks.
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Droppings on Brownsea are likely to be from the deer. Roe deer are a little more oval than rabbits - Havn't seen Sika droppings.
I have a cock pheasant on my peanut holders quite often. I prefer them eating them to munching my garden plants though. A few years ago one hen pheasant developed a taste for my hostas!
Please can we see a bit more of the fantastic widlife of Brownsea (and perhaps a bit less of Bill and his garden). It's such a shame that the programme is not making the most of its fantastic location and the work of the NT and Dorset Wildlife Trust.
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Dear motherofned
Really sorry that your son was upset by the item - obvioulsy that's the last thing we want, but we do also have a responsibility to tell environmental stories in a truthful way. You could check out the Autumnwatch website which gives a bit more background to the bee story... Hope he's enjoying the rest of the show (though a word of warning - slightly scary frilm from Bill about Halloween tonight).
Regards - Stephen
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Dear Mother of Ned,
the statement, implied by Autumnwatch, that Albert Einstein, the eminent physicist, had stated that "if the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.” is wrong.
Einstein said no such thing. Einstein knew nothing about bees at all. It is all a myth. Although, quite a popular myth, I must admit.
Many of our food plants are pollinated by wind, all our cereals for example. So there would still be quite a lot of food, even if there were no bees.
However, Honey bees, which we breed in "captivity" are very important for the pollination of certain crops, especially fruit, and who would want to live in a world without fruit?
Honey bees have recently suffered from several big problems, including a parasite, a fungal infection and a mysterious event which causes whole colonies to disappear. The consequence of suffering all these problems is that numerous bee-keepers have lost many, if not most, of their Honey bees.
But there are other bees besides Honey bees (all those Bumble bees, for example) which can pollinate flowers, not to mention the flies.
So all is not lost for poor Ned. In the mean time, we should impress upon the Government that funding for bee research should be re-instated, because saving Honey bees is still very, very important.
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Thank you so much Stephen and RealKeithDancey, Ned is really relieved, and rather thrilled that you took the trouble to respond. And he's still enjoying the show!
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Thanks to all for a wonderful 1st week - can't wait til Monday - it will be so good to see Simon in Wales,which has been a little by-passed until now. Also - will there be any updates on the ospreys, please? One has been spotted near Hatfield (Herts) last week which is a little alarming given the October snows. Keep up the good work AW!
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Hi,
On Thursday evening I sat in my chair terrified. My husband was out and I was all alone and your program had me in tears and shaking!
I have a very crazy, very genuine fear of 2" insects and I cannot stay anywhere near them. Daddy long legs!!!!!!
Ugh! Please warn us if you show them again as I will be able to walk past the tv and leave the room.
Please dont laugh, its awful.
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I forgot to mention earlier when I was talking about seeing the herons lined up along the ditch in Spalding that there were about 15 of them all in this one field, is this unusual?
I've never seen it before!
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after watching tonights programme I have a concern regarding the sea eagles and their satellite tags.Would it be possible for anyone to accurately pinpoint their location from details on the website?I assume not as this would open up all sorts of opportunities for anyone interested in harming them,please put my mind at rest,either with an e-mail reply or via the programme.thank you.
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Wow it's the last night already, it only seems like yesterday since we all watched the trucks all arrive on the Island. Looking forward to tonight's last show. We've all enjoyed the buzz of having you all around.
Even though the Island closes for the season on Sunday, it's going to seem a little strange not to have all your teams around and about the Island. So cheers from us on the Island and thanks for showing everyone how special a place this is.
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