There's some different wildlife to look out for now autumn's here and more ways to help the nature in your garden as the days get shorter and cooler - RSPB Scotland's Jess Barrett takes you through what to expect over the next few months.

Autumn Days


The changing of the seasons from summer into autumn is a beautiful time of year. As the night creeps back into the evenings and the temperatures drop our trees turn from lush vibrant greens to crisp rusty reds, yellows and oranges. It’s one of my favourite things to look out for at this time of year and who doesn’t love crunching through the fallen leaves and kicking them about?!

While we have to bid farewell to some of our much loved summer visitors as they leave for warmer climates, we’re joined by whole hosts of other species who either come to spend these colder months with us, or pass on through on their journeys to other wintering grounds.

Fieldfares will begin to arrive over the next month. These beautiful blue-grey thrushes will spend most of their time in open countryside, bordered by hedgerows and woodland, looking for grubs and worms. If the temperatures drop some of you may be lucky enough to spot one in your garden where they’ll come to look for berries if the ground is frozen or covered in snow. They are incredibly social and flock numbers can be as high as several hundred strong!

Redwings are smaller members of the thrush family, and will have begun arriving over the last month. The chestnut-red colour under their wing gives these birds their name and they have a distinctive pale stripe above their eyes. They also tend to avoid gardens unless the weather is very cold but look out for them on open fields, and keep an ear pricked for a thin, almost mournful sounding whistle on misty evenings over the next few months.

Last year you may remember saw huge numbers of waxwings in Scotland. These crested birds bring an exciting colour flash to the colder days; we’ll have to wait and see if we’re to be treated to another irruption of them this year. 

Clear, cool autumn days are a great time to go on walks and see what nature you can spot, and how it changes the closer we get to the clocks going back and the chillier weather coming our way. There are also lots of ways you can help wildlife closer to home over the coming months.

September can be a quiet month for bird feeders with no more young mouths to feed and plentiful food being provided by nature. However, around now you’ll see garden birds beginning to return gradually. Keep a bit of food in your feeders so birds passing through know that there’s a regular source available there. Then as the temperatures get colder the birds will begin to visit more routinely. Putting food and water out often will be of great benefit to them as their natural sources of food become scarcer and water may freeze, and it also means you get the pleasure of seeing them back in your garden feeding away!

Insects and mammals love the warm carpet that fallen leaves provide so why not give the rake a break and leave the leaves as they fall for a bit? When you do come to sweep them away piling them into a corner will make a perfect home for hibernating hedgehogs.

This time of year also often treats us to stunning, blazing sunsets with blazing golden colours streaked across the sky. The red leaves of trees seem to glow in this light – it really is a stunning time to enjoy all that nature has to offer!