Welcome back to Autumnwatch!
Post categories: Tim Scoones
| 09:03 UK time, Tuesday, 22 September 2009
Welcome back! It's great to know that you are back with us again and we'll be sharing the next few weeks together.
For more detailed info on this year's Autumnwatch, click on the links below:
- A new shape for Autumnwatch - watch the whole of autumn with us
- Chris and Kate's autumn hotspots
- Simon's new high-tech missions and fieldcraft insights
- Gordon seeks out more stories and meets more wildlife people
- Martin wants to get you more involved
- New, improved Unsprung programme for Autumnwatch 2009
- Even more web stuff
What a fabulous September many of us have had. After her barbeque-free summer, Mother Nature has redeemed herself with a few weeks of settled high pressure weather (for most of us at least). When it's like it has been in the South West recently, September earns its status one of my absolute favourite months (along with May and June. You can keep July and August in my opinion).
Things are beginning to turn, and yet many plants put on a last burst of growth before settling down for winter (known as "lammas growth" I believe). I still have a chance of seeing a swallow and yet the wild rose hips are lipstick red already. And the light! I think Simon King calls is "lemony light". Everything looks beautiful in September sunlight.
The last few days have felt like summer and yet the tell-tale signs are already there that a big change is already beginning to happen. Walking past the ivy in my garden, I noticed that this seemingly inauspicious plant is now the centre of attention for my wild neighbours, with its late flowers literally buzzing with insect activity. The robins are back singing again after their summer break, but they aren't joined by many other songsters and their melodies seem just a little more thoughtful and serious than their springtime flourishes.
From the last breaths of summer are emerging the first sighs of autumn. And as the autumn equinox arrives (today, in fact), Autumnwatch returns.
Yes, I'm delighted to say that Autumnwatch is back, and excited to reveal that this year it has a new shape that will hopefully bring you even more of the autumn and its wildlife treats than ever before, as well as more time for you to tell us what you've been doing and seeing and filming and photographing.
Thank you for all your thoughts and suggestions regarding how we can improve Springwatch and Autumnwatch. It's wonderful to have so many viewers who are so passionate about the series - it really helps to know what you think.
We've also been talking to broadcasting colleagues and the many wildlife organisations with whom we work. On the basis of this, we've decided to make a change to Autumnwatch - I hope you'll agree that it's a change for the better. I've been working on SW/AW since the very beginning, and I can honestly say I've rarely been as excited as this before a series, knowing what an amazing range of autumn wildlife we hope to bring you (and we hope you'll bring us). As ever, it's nature that really writes the scripts on these shows, but early drafts from Mother Nature are looking very promising indeed.
In a nutshell (!), the Autumnwatch TV show is now going to be on once a week for eight weeks, every Friday night at 9pm (with a repeat for family viewers on Saturday late afternoons) from 2nd October to 20th November. Autumn is such a long and varied season that we wanted our eight shows to span the whole thing. In this way, we can capture and share the very best of it from beginning to end, now also able to tell the big stories that play out across weeks rather than days.
Don't panic - everything else we've all grown to love stays the same. By popular demand, the shows are still live, so we can stay absolutely up to date with all the wildlife action. The website is going to be as rich and active as ever and we are going to try some new stuff with our famous webcams. The now established Springwatch presenter team - Chris Packham, Kate Humble, Simon King, Gordon Buchanan and Martin Hughes-Games - are back in similar roles but with brand new missions.
Again by popular demand, an Autumnwatch version of Unsprung makes its debut. Now it's a full half hour long and on BBC Two rather than Red Button. And before you ask, this change of shape is for Autumnwatch only, as it best matches the wildlife action of the season. There are no plans to change the three-week daily bonanza of Springwatch in late May/early June, as the breeding season for many creatures reaches its peak.
As ever, BBC regional television, local radio and BBC local on the web will be joining the Autumnwatch broadcast event, giving you the local angle on your wild animals, places and events as well as reports and interviews from this year's Autumnwatch locations.
We'll also be continuing our commitment to the BBC's ambitious Breathing Places campaign, which has been inspiring millions of people to connect and engage with wildlife, as well as do their bit to help wildlife in their gardens, window boxes, parks, allotments and local community spaces.
Thousands of schools have already joined Breathing Places Schools and we'll be encouraging more to take part.
The Breathing Places team have been working with hundreds of wildlife organisations to offer a huge range of autumn wildlife treats, via an easy to use, put-in-your-postcode Event Finder. And we'll be helping them launch their Tree O'Clock event, an attempt to break a world record (or two!) for the greatest number of trees planted in one hour (on Sat 5th December 11am to 12pm).
As ever, there'll be suggestions of easy ways to Do One Thing to help nature near you, as well as special free downloads, from fungi guides to sounds of the night.
Here's to a great autumn, and the best Autumnwatch ever. Join us!
Tim Scoones is the Executive Producer of Autumnwatch
Autumnwatch 2009
Fri 2nd October - Fri 20th November
9-10pm every Friday night on BBC Two
(followed by Autumnwatch Unsprung 10-10.30pm on BBC TWO, plus
a repeat of the main show for family viewing on Saturday afternoons on BBC TWO)... and across the BBC on regional TV, local radio, on the web... and where you live
Comments
Welcome back Autumn watch, great opening shots cant wait till Friday, this year after serious illness, we have spent more time taking our dog long walks across fields etc.
This programme has inceased our interest even more,also can understand Chris having an interest in dragonflys we have now seen six of the many varities and just like the naturist say they check you out they go round and round you even settling near your feet. It was quite difficult trying to film the larger ones as they fly so fast but managed to get some good shots in the end, though I didnt appreciate them on camera eating a butterfly.
We have managed to count 13 different butterflys over the last few months the difference has been considerable in the amount any one species we see, hundreds in some instances in and over the grasses down to hardly any.
We have watched a young Heron around one of the pools and held our breath wondering if he would take the baby moorhens or ducklings, the moorhens have had three broods, though the last arrival was a solitary youngster, we were surprised to see that the first and second families were helping their parents feed the new offspring as well as still being fed by the parents themselves, is this usual.
We have seen a pair of kingfishers though only one sighting,kestrels etc etc and a flock of Goldfinch feeding off the thistles, evidence of moles, rabbit droppings and two moths never seen before one scarlet and the other red/black.
The blackberries are still fruiting sloes turning darker by the day and some holly is covered with huge clumps of berries whilst others are not. As I now know you never know what life is going to throw at you, but our walks leave me feeling great and certainly shown us there is always something new to see, you just have to be more observant. so roll on Friday bringing back the chance to see and learn more about our wonderful countryside.
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Great news about Autumnwatch return, and look forward to the new format.
I have just spent 5 min of my lunch-time watching a Red Kite circling adjacent to St James's Hospital, 2 miles from Leeds city-centre. What pleasure wildlife can bring - even in our cities.
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Hi Tim,
I'm very sorry I've already posted this question to Martin but if you don't mind I have the same very quick question? As a recent graduate in Natural Sciences I am desperate to somehow find a way into nature documentary production but I am finding it extremely difficult. I already have some previous experience with some documentary research for a small production company producing for BBC 2. I am also looking at a couple of masters courses but would love to get some more experience before beginning one of these. I have also been keeping my eye on the BBC jobs and work experience posts and have applied for a few positions there. My questions is do you have any advice for me or anyone else who is interested in pursuing a career in this area? (or perhaps a researcher or runner position going on the team!!) Again I know you are extremely busy so thank you for your time, and I hope the everything goes great.
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great idea to follow the season as we have such variations from North to South! I have been enjoying the bats swarming for some time. Things are quietening down now but still worth going out for on warmer nights. Look ing forward to the series. Too busy in the spring out there enjoying the wildlife so I enjoy Autumn watch for the darker cooler nights mean I am around to have time to watch the programmes.Wishing the series well for 2009.
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What a fantastic format, I can't believe someone came up with this great idea of splitting the prog in two and the second half 'Unsprung' is so....it's fantastic, more or less unscripted and works like a dream. Every presenter is 100% perfect.
I'm sure you will be welcoming ideas from your enthusiastic viewers, may I suggest some ideas?
Next week you are covering bird migration (what has happened to the autumn passerine passage this autumn here on the east coast? Looking foreward to next week hugely but how about tying this slot in with the weatherman much more regarding, e.g easterlies bringing goldcrests, pallas's warblers, waxwings from the continent or, as you already mentioned, the possibility of some American birds soon with the way the weather is shaping up. Love to see this expanded and if some turn up, what are they and where are they?
I hate to admit it but when I was about...20+ (and still photographing birds) I remember seeing Simon King aged about 12 appearing on TV for probably the very first time, he was walking down a lane with...who was it ? It was a naturalist but can't remember who it was, let's see that clip and watch Simon's reaction haha. What year? About 1962-65.
I am following the Sattelite tagged ospreys, surprised that wasn't mentioned.
How about at least talking about the week's mega rarities that have turned up and including some of the interesting 'rarities such as the influx of glossy ibis' this autumn, are they going to increase and breed just like the little egrets have ? Time will tell. I have some great pics of the Lincolnshire one that left us last week for..somewhere.
Here's a difficult challenge; where do birds roost? yes some birds we know well but what about goldfinches, reed buntings, so many passerines I still have no idea where they roost.
And finally, I'm sure we are all going to be looking foreward to Friday night's from now on but please, wildlife is a 365 day wonder, let's not have any breaks, it really spoils programmes, for me anyway, when, suddenly, they are gone, even for a shortish while such as two/three months. Of course the presenters need breaks, have other things to do, well you found this successful team, why not find a 'B' team while they have their break ??
Great great great programme and I have been watching these on TV since the b/w "LOOK" progs with Sir Peter Scott !
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Hearty congratulations to all for a fantastic programme. The old format was ace & was therefore a tricky place from which to progress; yet you have done so with flying colours. Thank you so much.
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Congratulations on a wonderful programme, we really enjoyed it. What a good idea to have autumnwatch weekly, it will be something to look forward to on Friday evenings and is so much better than having a fortnight of programmes on consecutive evenings and then nothing.....Also, we are so glad it is on later, just about the time we are sitting down to relax. Brilliant all round really! Do you think that Springwatch ought to be a little earlier next year? The birds are beginning to nest by April and the first badger cubs are usually above ground by this time etc. Maybe it could begin around late April or the first week in May, what do other people think?
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I regularly put out in-shell monkey nuts for the magpie pair and carrion crow pair who nest in the area each year. I keep them in a plastic biscuit box. A "resident" female squirrel now recognises the
rattle of the box, sitting up to check the noise,and then coming on to a fence near the house.
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Good programme, I prefer this presenting team to past teams, as there are a few less egos about and less upstaging. I do object to the ridiculous anthropomorphism in giving the animals names, particularly the stags on Rhum, but I understand that the mass audience may relate to this.
Kate mentioned that a red stag's antlers are the same every year but this is not true. Up to about 11/12 years old each set of antlers will be larger and usually have more tines than in the previous year but will display similar traits in shape and other characteristics. After about 10 years the antlers start to "go back" and actually start to get a little smaller with successive heads and this may be accompanied by a loss of body weight which means that stags in excess of 12 years old are likely to be displaced by younger heavier stags with bigger antlers.
The stags with a single spike are called "switches" and are often culled as a danger to other stags and because this trait is often genetic and the deer managers do not want the characteristic passed on. Mature stags with no antlers (again genetic) are called "hummels".
Antler size is a combination of genetics and food supply which is why red deer in lowland areas generally grow much larger antlers than those on Rhum and weigh up to twice as much.
Sometimes if a stag or buck gets an injury, particularly to the testes, the antler growth on the opposite side to the injury can be deformed, stunted or in some other way abnormal. This may just be for one year with normal growth resumed in the following year if the injury heals.
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