The Springwatch Blog

It's Friday morning, and Autumnwatch 2008 is finally over - or is it?! The TV series may be finished, but the Autumnwatch phenomenon never really stops - as you've just proved if you're reading this blog!

So what can you do if you're already missing Bill, Kate, Simon, Gordon and the crew? Well for a start you can explore the Autumnwatch website and all it has to offer. It would take me too long to list everything, so do go and explore yourself. To help you, here are some links to my favourite places...

• Kate's goodbye, a lovely interview in which Kate gives her thoughts on the past couple of weeks...
• Flickr gallery, a wonderful way of grouping your photos together by theme, such as fungi...
• Our video uploader, which is now up and running, and where you can send us your home movies of wildlife where you live.
• Our special sections (which are constantly being updated) on where to watch wildlife, how to help wildlife in your garden, and on issues such as sea life and the Marine Bill - which many of you have already helped promote via the Marine Conservation Society's campaign.
• Our friends at Breathing Places have all sorts of things to inspire and excite you - check out their website for everything from Do One Thing for nature to how your children's school can become a Breathing Places School.
• And of course, there's the Messageboard. We'll be leaving this up in 'read only' form so you can look back on what has been an amazing and eventful few weeks.
• Finally, do keep on leaving your comments on this and previous blogs... we'll keep reading them, and update them so you know what's going on between now and Springwatch!

Then there's the natural world itself. Just because it's autumn, and winter is just around the corner, it certainly doesn't mean that British wildlife is shutting down! Actually late autumn and winter can be one of the most exciting times of year, not least because the weather is so unpredictable, as we've seen during this year's Autumnwatch.

So don't just enjoy our wildlife via the TV or web, get out there and experience it for yourself! Check out the Breathing Places Events Finder - simply put in your postcode and it will tell you about all the events happening in your neighbourhood.

Finally, don't forget to have fun - the natural world is a wonderful thing, and it's all out there for us to enjoy. So go on - look out of the window, walk out of your front door, and see what you can find...

SPRINGWATCH and AUTUMNWATCH - not just TV series... more a way of life!

It's our final day here on the magical Brownsea island, and the countdown to the final show has begun. In about five hours we'll be on air for the last time - at least for this year. So this seems like a good time to look back and reflect on the rollercoaster of events that make up this year's Autumnwatch.

For me, and for the whole of our production team, this is a bit of a strange day. We still have a programme to get out, so there is an air of quiet professionalism, as always. But we are also very aware that the incredible experience - a unique period in our lives - is coming to an end very soon. Although we'll all be sad to leave, we'll do so feeling very satisfied with what we've managed to achieve over the past couple of weeks, and more importantly humbled by your fantastic response to the wildlife action, stories and characters we've been showing you.

Having been at the BBC for over a quarter of a century - the whole of my professional life - I can honestly say that there is nothing quite like working on a live show like Autumnwatch. Partly it's down to the wonderful unpredictabliity of the wildlife; partly to the incredible professionalism of my colleagues; and partly because this show really is like no other.

And to be honest, that comes down to you. Our viewers, those of you who come onto the website and comment on the blog, enter debates on the Messageboard, or upload your autumn photos onto our Flickr group, really do help make Autumnwatch what it is.

When I started working with Bill, a dozen years or more ago, life was much simpler. We made the programmes, put them out, you watched them - and that was more or less it! Don 't get me wrong - I am very proud of those early series - but what's wonderful is that today we reach so many more people in such different ways.

None of us could possibly have forseen how things would develop: that the BBC would resurrect live nature programmes, and bring life-and-death stories into your living room, as they happen. We didn't know about the web, let alone that it would allow you to engage with us in the way you do. And even in our wildest dreams, we could never have imagined that British wildlife would become one of the hottest topics of discussion - not just amongst its traditional fans, but for the British public as a whole. But then again, as someone once said, watching wildlife isn't an escape from reality, but an escape to reality...

So what treats are in tonight's final show? Well, Kate and Bill will be saying their goodbyes to Brownsea - for the time being at least - with a round-up of our squirrel assault course, plus news of our sika deer and the birds on the lagoon. Gordon will also be looking back at the amazing story of the Farne Islands seals, and looking forward (along with his dedicated team) to finally getting back to dry land a a hot bath! And Simon goes for the big one - the most ambitious event ever attempted on Springwatch or Autumnwatch, a live dive in search of conger eels in Studland Bay.

Before we go on air for the last time, I'd just like to thank some very special people who made this all possible. I won't go on as much as the Oscar winners do, but I just have to say a huge thanks to all our conservation partners, especially the National Trust and Dorset Wildlife Trust, and all their amazingly dedicated staff and volunteers. Thanks too to all the many people who have helped Simon and Gordon in their quests to bring you the best of British wildlife. Thanks to our production team, who have worked harder than you can imagine to make all this possible. Thanks, of course, to our four fabulous presenters, Bill, Kate, Simon and Gordon, for communicating their knowledge and enthusiasm so brilliantly. And finally a huge thanks to YOU, our audience, for staying with us!

So hope you enjoy tonight's final show - and look out for our special round-up programme during the Xmas break. In the mean time, check out some fab new offerings on our website, including: Kate's end of series goodbye, See you on Springwatch next year!

Best wishes from Stephen, Tim, Reema and the whole of the Autumnwatch team.

STOP PRESS!!! Do check out the wonderful blog on living on foraged food for the day, by our friend from the National Trust (and fellow blogger) Martha Roberts...

DON'T FORGET WE'RE ON THE AIR AT 7PM TONIGHT!!!!!

Autumnwatch contributor (and good friend of mine) Dominic Couzens arrived to see the show today - and while waiting to catch the ferry from Sandbanks spotted a new arrival in the harbour. Not a cormorant, or a shag, but a great northern diver - which has migrated here from its breeding grounds in Iceland.

By the time wildlife producer Nigel and cameraman Pete had been mobilised, there was good and bad news. The good news - we'd spotted the bird. The bad news - it was all the way over by Studland beach, on the very far side of the harbour. So at dawn tomorrow Pete will be out again to see if he can get a closer shot for tomorrow's final programme.

In the meantime we have another visitor - Simon (and his whole crew, led by producer Martin) have made the long trek down from Anglesey to Studland Bay. Having arrived, they realised that the murky waters mean that there is no way they can do a live dive tonight.

So instead, they've moored up five minutes walk away from my office, on the pier at Brownsea. And tonight, Simon will attempt a live dive in the waters just offshore. Fingers crossed he'll find some pretty amazing stuff.

Gordon is still watching the seals - and brings us the continued family saga of Nemo and his mum - will the little pup survive? And Bill and Kate continue to bring us the sights and sounds of Brownsea - including a very lost water rail, a bird that squeals like a pig from the reeds!

As always, keep sending us your comments - either on this blog or via the Messageboard - and of course we love seeing your great pictures on Flickr and video footage on our uploader.

Lots of events on the menu tonight as well - stuff you can do after we go off air tomorrow night, and for the rest of the autumn season to come. Check out the Breathing Places event finder - all you need is your postcode!

All the best - Stephen

It's just a few minutes before tonight's programme, but Simon wanted to drop you a quick line from his OB location in Anglesey:

Thank you all for your muntjac sightings it's been a real pleasure to see them all come in from across the country. These tenacious deer seem to have popped up in a number of surprising places from Cornwall to Legoland!

Keep the sightings coming and due to the large response were going to give the information that we've gathered with your help to The Mammal Society so they can use it to further our understanding of the muntjac, our smallest deer.

All the best

Simon

STOP PRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Due to the American elections BBC Two are running a special programme at 8pm on Wednesday 5th November - which means AUTUMNWATCH WILL BE ON AT 7 PM... Tuesday and Thursday still on at 8 pm as usual...

It's sometimes said that in Britain you can experience four seasons in a day - and here we've certainly had what feels like four seasons in a week! After the bitter winds and chilly nights of last week, today has been mild and occasionally bright - almost spring-like at times. The red squirrels are bounding across the forest floor, the lagoon is packed with feeding birds, and little flocks of goldcrests and long-tailed tits are twittering in the trees all over Brownsea Island.

So what's been going on here at the Autumnwatch production office? Well, today we suddenly realised that we had a golden opportunity to rehabilitate some of our least popular birds - the various members of the crow family. Simon has already begun to reveal the secrets of the Welsh ravens on Anglesey, with some truly fascinating stuff in Monday night's show, and more to come on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Bill has taken a trip to the mainland, where the local crows have learned to drop shellfish on the hard surface of the Poole Quay car park, in order to break open the shells and feast on the contents. We realised this was a golden opportunity to show some fabulous archive footage of 'clever crows' (see my earlier blog if you have clever crows in your neighbourhood!)

Only one problem - all the material Simon and his team need is in Bristol, while we're in Dorset and Simon is in Birmingham. Enter our heroine Alex, former producer on Springwatch, who managed to get the stuff together at double-quick speed, and (by some miracle of technology I don't quite understand) sent it up to Simon's team... All to appear on Tuesday night's show...

What else have we got? More squirrel assault course of course (one failure, one success, so a one-all draw between Jo and the squirrels). The first of three great sea eagle films, following the fortunes of a new pair of chicks from our dependable eagle couple, Skye and Frisa, and starring our old friend RSPB warden David Sexton, the eagle man of Mull. And Bill is doing a review of what may turn out to be the best year ever for American vagrant birds blown across the Atlantic to Britain.

This week we are going large on the Marine Bill. As many of you will know, the marine environment has been woefully neglected until quite recently, despite the very best efforts of conservation organisations to raise its profile. It seems it really is a case of 'out of sight, out of mind'. But as Kate's seahorse encounter showed on Monday night, the waters around our coasts are packed with extraordinary creatures, and habitats that really do need our protection.

On Tuesday's show Kate revisits a wreck, the Scylla, off the Devon coast - and finds a wonderland of marine life just four years after the boat was sunk. And now you have the chance to help save your favourite offshore location - check out our link to the Marine Conservation Society website where you can have your say...

Gordon has a really dramatic story building on the Farnes - as National Trust warden David Steele reveals on his blog, the bulls are back!

And of course you can continue to submit your photos via our Flickr site, and (we hope - fingers crossed) upload your videos as well.

Must rush - lots to do!

Stephen

This is one of those times of year when feeding garden birds becomes absolutely crucial. As the nights draw in, and the weather gets colder, it's important to make sure your feeders are topped up and that your bird bath is filled with fresh, clean water. To help you, There are hints and tips about feeding garden birds here on the Breathing Places website.

Here on Autumnwatch we'd also like to know if you have seen any really unusual behaviour at your feeding station - and even better, if you;ve managed to video it or take any still photos. As always, you can upload these onto our Video Uploader and Flickr sites - or just tell me what you've seen...

Look forward to hearing from you - Stephen

They're black, they're some of our least popular birds, and they're very, VERY smart. The various members of the crow family are, in fact, amongst the smartest creatures on Earth - at least as clever as dolphins, gorillas and chimpanzees, and in the view of some scientists even smarter.

Yet these are also the birds we love to hate - especially carrion crows, ravens and magpies. For centuries these species have been associated with evildoing - as the companions of witches - or simply derided as thieves. Yet their mischievous behaviour is the sign of very high intelligence.

So as Simon says on Monday night's show, we're now asking YOU to look out for clever crows in your neighbourhood. Whether it's magpies or jays, rooks or ravens, carrion crows or jackdaws - or in Scotland and Ireland, hooded crows - we'd love to hear from you. Post your replies on this blog, or send us your videos or photos elsewhere on this website. We'll tell the best stories, and show any great footage or stills, on the programme later this week!

Thanks again for your great response so far!

Stephen

I'm writing this at home on Sunday morning, just before heading back to Brownsea after spending a welcome couple of days with my family. Actually they spent one day with me - my wife Suzanne, and youngsters Charlie, George and Daisy popped down to Brownsea on Friday for a quick visit. Fortunately they chose a lovely day weather-wise, and we managed to catch up with the red squirrels (on the assault course as well as in the woods), avocets and various waterbirds on the lagoon. The only disappointment, for three-year-old George at least, was that we failed to see the spoonbills!

So we're now halfway through our run - Autumnwatch always does seem more like a sprint than the marathon that is Springwatch! Four down, and four to go - and judging from the stuff you've been posting on the Messageboard you seem to be enjoying the shows so far! I know the squirrels have been the stars of the show, but the wonderful thing about autumn is that there is so much to see, as Simon and Gordon have proved. So thanks for tuning in - all three million plus of you!

I think what has really astonished us is the response to two new offers we've had this year. The Video Uploader has proved very popular, with many of you posting your footage of autumn wildlife there. But the really amazing thing has been the Flickr site, where you can upload your photos. This is now officially the fastest-growing site of its kind anywhere in the world!

Looking forward to the week to come, we have some amazing stuff from Gordon on the Farnes - a result of the change in the wind direction over the weekend. Simon is at Britain's biggest raven roost, on the Welsh island of Anglesey. And Bill and Kate are off to the mainland to check out some fascinating goings-on in and around Poole Harbour.

So do tune in - 8pm Monday to Thursday all this week...

All the best - Stephen

OK, so it's a day early, but as it's our last show this week - tonight's the one with the Halloween theme!

The studio has been dressed with pumpkins and props, which have been generously donated from the edit van (pictured right) our webteam have made home.

Bill has made a lovely film about the natural explanation for ghost stories and we've our very own 'shower scene' complete with screaming woman (Nikki from the production team doing a fine impression of Janet Leigh).

Content wise, things just keep on coming - tonight we have a leap into the unknown by the red squirrels, Bill's tale of the little egrets (and the new kids on the block, cattle egrets), and Kate's early morning quest to get up close and personal with the sika deer.

Talking of deer, check out my last blog if you have muntjac in your neighbourhood. Tonight Simon is on the track of otters in the suburbs of Birmingham, while Gordon is battening down the hatches for some storm-force northerlies.

Make sure to check out a great blog from the National Trust's Farne Islands' warden David Steel. It'll be updated all weekend while we're off the air, so that's the place to go for the latest info from Gordon's team.

A huge thank you to all of you who are uploading your videos and photos of autumnal events and wildlife - we are currently number three (out of about 11000) Flickr groups - thanks to YOU!

So enjoy tonight's programme, get out and do one thing for autumn this weekend, see you on Monday and Happy Halloween.

Stephen

If you saw Wednesday night's show, you'll recall Simon made an appeal for sightings of our smallest deer, the Muntjac. Originally from China, the Muntjac was introduced to Woburn Abbey in the 19th century, and has been spreading outwards ever since. Despite now probably being the commonest deer species in Britain, it can be very hard to see.

Simon gave us some really useful tips on how to know if you have Muntjac in your neighbourhood - the staccato, dog-like bark, the tiny footprints, and if you are lucky enough to catch sight of one, its tiny size - less than half that of a Roe Deer. So do let us know via this blog if you have Muntjac where you live.

Just in: here's the muntjac sightings map that Simon showed on the show.

It's Thursday morning, and in what seems like a blink of an eye, we are almost halfway through our current run of Autumnwatch. Already we've seen some truly astonishing sights - Gordon's baby seal pup braving the waves, Simon playing the guitar (and showing us some fabulous secrets about Fallow Deer and Muntjac), and Bill and Kate's red squirrel assault course.

Tonight Simon will be back in Birmingham in search of another elusive mammal - the urban Otter. Simon knows more about tracking Otters than almost anyone, so hopefully he will at least be able to prove their presence, and maybe even find one during the live show.

Kate goes out to watch the Sika Deer on Brownsea, while Bill looks at one of the island's newer residents - the beautiful little egret. And of course Gordon and his team are still on the Farnes braving the elements along with those feisty little seal pups.

A|nd don;t forget there are lots of events you can do this weekend - as well as a wealth of autum,n wildlife to go and see - check out Breathing Places for details of things to do near where you live.

Oh - and as you saw on Wednesday night, Bill and Kate are being well fed!

Once again, thanks to the dozens of you who responded to Simon's deer antler challenge in last night's show.

As revealed by Simon on tonight's programme, the results are, in clockwise order, roe, sika, red and fallow.

As many of you also pointed out, roe and red deer are native species, while fallow and sika were introduced here.

The other two British deer species found in a wild state, muntjac and Chinese water deer, were also introduced to Britain.

Some of you also pointed out that another species, Pere David's deer, can also be seen in some deer parks, while there is an introduced herd of reindeer in the Cairngorms.

Once again, many apologies for confusing you all with the reference to muntjac.

Stephen