For many people, autumn is a time of beauty. A time when nature resets itself and makes changes so that it can flourish again the following year.

In the UK, autumn is synonymous with deciduous trees losing their leaves and day lengths becoming shorter. The green pigment Chlorophyll is responsible for leaves having their green colour, of course, but as its production ceases in the autumn, two other chemicals also required for photosynthesis give leaves their golden colours. Anthocyanin has a deep red colour and is responsible for protecting cells in the leaf from high light damage, acting as a kind of sunscreen. Carotene is a yellow pigment and it has a secondary role in photosynthesis, absorbing sunlight energy and transferring this energy to the chlorophyll. Carotene also has a role to play in the pigmentation of feather colours in some birds, being responsible for producing bright yellow and reds.

It’s not just colours that change in autumn, of course; some animals change their behaviour to make sure of survival in future years. Many mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects hibernate in the autumn, shutting their bodies down until the following spring. Birds however, do not hibernate*. If they can’t find enough food where they are all year round, they will migrate to somewhere they can, and as we know, of course, Einion, Dulas, and Leri are all now in Africa, free from the threat of rivers and lakes freezing up and stopping them from fishing.

Now is a great time to look out for migrating birds; as the last of the swallows and warblers leave our shores, other species fly in from colder regions – geese, ducks and many wader species. Brent geese are one of my favourite – if you live near the coast, look out for them and if you see any with colour rings, please get in touch. Just like the Darvic rings we placed on the ospreys, we’ll be able to tell where the bird has come from. Probably thousands of miles away!

*Out of the 10,000 bird species that live on our planet – there is just one that hibernates! Do you know which one?