At this time of year, we often get periods when our otherwise reliable garden birds, suddenly disappear and leave uneaten food in the bird feeders. The garden is often so quiet I can hear the wings of dragonflies’ clatter as they pass, and the fizzing hum of hoverflies is the only thing disturbing the air. Ah, autumn has arrived.
The absence of birds is a perfectly normal seasonal occurrence and nothing to worry about. It’s now a time of plenty, with hedgerows and trees packed with fruit, nuts and berries, and moulting birds will prefer to stay hidden, well out of sight, rather than risk flying into our gardens while they are at their most vulnerable.
I therefore take this as an opportunity to look a little further afield for my daily wildlife fix. Amazingly, I don’t even have to leave my garden; all I need do is tip my head up or down, rather than assuming the typical horizontal view – in line with the bird feeders! What I see, especially during spring and autumn are true wonders of nature.
This all happens around the autumn equinox around the 22nd - 23rd September, when night takes over from day as the dominant force, triggering great changes across the landscape, garden, and in animal behaviour.
Our trees are the most obvious, changing from green to a myriad of colours before they’re shed. However, all this leaf litter is food that provides for, and hides, many more secrets. I love going on fungal forays, early in the morning (early as fungi will be eaten by other creatures as quickly as it grows!). Take today, I discovered some fungi the size of large dinner plates in an area I keep free from the mower and I’m sure they weren’t there yesterday.
As I take a closer look, I’m surprised and delighted to find a pair of slugs in a romantic embrace, producing next year’s trouble for my brassicas. I’ve witnessed slug love-making many times (it’s fascinating honest) but I usually find them hanging from plants in a big slimy string. This pair obviously felt under the cover of a mushroom fungus was far more private, well until I turned up with my camera anyway!
Birds are not alone in preparing for longer nights. Now is the time to watch out for large bumblebee queens scoffing down nectar before finding burrows in which to hibernate. Butterflies such as small tortoiseshell and peacock will still be on the wing, seeking the last flowers on which to feed before seeking shelter in sheds and garages to overwinter as adults.
Hedgehogs will have finished breeding and all the young will be independent. Both adults and youngsters will all be taking advantage of the longer nights to feed up. They need to pack on weight and achieve a weight of at least 450g, ideally much more with lots of stored body fat. All this is necessary to keep them going over winter and so you’re more likely to see a hedgehog during September and October than any other month. As they eat, eat, and eat some more.
A less welcome seasonal change is the seemingly sudden appearance of swarms of wasps. Queens will be dying off, and with no larvae to tend in the nest, worker females find themselves redundant. Left to their own devices, they buzz around attracted to anything sweet, feeding and getting drunk on fermenting sugars making them grumpy and lonely as they end their days.
So while the birds continue to be absent while they moult, I’ll roam the garden, looking closely, watching and inspecting how all the creatures and plants prepare for the coming winter months.
