All change for Attenborough's Wildlife!

October started with southwesterly winds bringing relatively mild air and rain at times and it was still warm enough to view migrant hawker dragonflies being caught by a hobby flying over the lakes on the 1^st. The southwesterly winds continued for the next two weeks, and combined with sunny days, sightings of hoverflies, butterflies and dragonflies were reported.

From mid-month, the temperature was generally cooler and the number of insects spotted by volunteers lowered considerably, with far less butterflies and hoverflies observed compared to earlier in the month. Autumn sunshine can still be strong at times however, and the 17^th was very sunny and saw the last sighting of Peacock and Red Admiral butterflies before they went into hibernation.

Around the 21^st to the 25^th, a warm front moved north over the region bringing a lot of grey low cloud, mist and fog, and intermittent drizzle. These conditions can cause some migrating birds to seek shelter in the Nature Reserve until the conditions have improved and they can carry on their journey. Sometimes the birds cannot see physical markers, such as the River Trent, which they rely on for orientation, or it may just be the unsettled weather is not fit to fly in.

An easterly wind dominated most of the remainder of the month and the sprinkling of snow during the early hours of the 27^th signalled the arrival of our winter migrants, those birds that breed in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe but spend the winter in our milder climate, such as goosander, wigeon and goldeneye. These easterly winds have also brought large numbers of Scandinavian thrushes, such as fieldfares, to our shores, and many are now being seen at the Nature Reserve feeding on berry-laden trees such as hawthorn.

Overall, October has been cooler than average, and if this winter is cold and the wind direction is just right, we might be in for an avian treat over the upcoming months.

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust manages many wetland nature reserves important for overwintering wildfowl, such as Idle Valley. Please visit: www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/nature-reserves/idle-valley to find out more.