Enjoy nature's own spectacular display this autumn

As Bonfire Night approaches, we’ve rounded up some of the best places to see nature's own spectacles this autumn, as well as sharing some wildlife-friendly tips. 

Planning on celebrating bonfire night this weekend? Love the fireworks, sparklers and the display? How about making time for some natural spectacles too? Here are our top 'better-than-fireworks' spectacles this month:

1. 'Ooh' and 'aah' at Starling murmurations: tens of thousands of birds' wheel and swoop in vast clouds as they settle into their evening roosts in trees, reedbeds or even under piers. Starlings form breath-taking patterns in the skies before swirling downwards to find a safe place to rest for the night. Enjoy the spectacle of a Starling murmuration at one of our nature reserves: RSPB Fairburn-Ings in West Yorkshire  RSPB Frampton Marsh in Boston, or RSPB Saltholme in Middlesbrough.

2. Many of us will be creating a 'fun Guy' for our bonfire, but there's plenty of fascinating fungi popping up all over the place at this time of year. Look out for the famous red and white Fly Agaric toadstools which can often be found near Silver Birch trees, so look out for these on our reserves. You might also spot some at RSPB Pulborough-Brooks in West Sussex, or Strumpshaw Fen in Norfolk.                                                                                                                                                                                         

3. Who needs Roman candles when you can have 'Roman noses'? The owners of these noses, Grey Seals, along with their relatives, Common Seals, are the UK’s two resident seal species. Grey seals come ashore to give birth to their fluffy, white-coated pups between September and November. If you’re lucky you may spot seals while visiting Frampton Marsh in Lincolnshire, Wallasea Island in Essex or Saltholme in Middlesbrough, but please be sure to give them space and enjoy them from a respectful distance.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

4. No flames are needed for the explosions of rust and bronze as trees such as beech, hazel and dogwood are ablaze with colour. At this time of year, leaves have switched from greens to reds as the green chlorophyll drains from the tree into the roots. Why not enjoy nature’s own colourful display at RSPB Arne in Dorset, The Lodge in Bedfordshire, or at Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

5. Sparks fly as massive red deer stags battle over groups of hinds in parks and moors. The deer rut is a feast for the ears as well as the eyes: the bellows and roars of the stags carry for miles over open land. Watch from a safe distance and enjoy one of the most impressive wildlife displays in the UK. RSPB Minsmere in Suffolk, or Leighton Moss in Lancashire are great places to see this at the moment.

6. Despite Halloween being over for another year, the enchanting sight of mists over wetland reedbeds, accompanied by the eerie, squealing sounds of water rail and other secretive creatures that live there, linger a little longer at this time of year. Reedbeds turn beautiful shades of purple and golden in autumn, and you can see these important habitats for yourself at many sites, including RSPB Titchwell Marsh in Norfolk, Saltholme in Middlesbrough and Burton Mere wetlands in Cheshire.

If our natural autumn spectacles can't tempt you away from the draw of a bonfire, please look out for wildlife.

Piles of logs, leaves and twigs are an ideal spot for sleepy hedgehogs to take a long nap, and usually they will choose to rest right at the bottom. To avoid disturbing one of our favourite mammals, leave bonfire-building until the day you plan to light it, or moving the entire bonfire a few meters just before lighting it, to stop our beloved hedgehogs and other wildlife mistaking the woodpiles for cosy winter quarters.

Look out for frogs, toads, newts, slow worms, common lizards and grass snakes too, which all use log piles for shelter and sleep during the winter months. These animals tend to move slowly when the temperature is low and would have difficulty escaping a roaring fire. By building your bonfire on the day you plan to light it, you can avoid wildlife moving in overnight.

If you do have to build your bonfire in advance, please check it for prickly guests by giving the pile a gentle poke with a stick (not a sharp one), so they can wake up and make their escape, but if you accidentally disturb an active hedgehog nest, carefully replace the material. If there are young in the nest, avoid touching them. Similarly, if it is a hibernating adult, avoid waking it. Should it wake, you may want to leave it some food nearby until it hibernates again. Of course, in this instance create a new bonfire elsewhere with new materials

A compost heap is another common place for hedgehogs to hibernate, so if you have one, try to avoid turning it over too often... hedgehogs don't like to be woken up!

For more information on where to see the incredible wildlife spectacles, and to check reserve opening times and facilities, visit the RSPB website.

Read more about nature’s other November highlights on this link.

(Main image: Birdwatchers gathering to enjoy the wader spectacle at RSPB Snettisham Nature Reserve, Norfolk, October 202 | Credit Ben Andrew)