The hottest summer on record has stretched its hand into autumn and, at the time of writing, mid-October has already brought temperatures of over twenty degrees. Although night-time temperatures are falling a little, the unseasonal weather seems set to continue. Norfolk had some rain through September, enough to give vegetation a ‘second-wind’. My lawn, parched brown in July, has recovered and is now growing green, lush and annoyingly quickly. October is normally capricious and unpredictable: a month of reflective tranquillity or rousing splendour. It is certainly a month of blustery storms, with cold fronts doing battle with warm air. Norfolk’s shoreline is often battered by immense rolling waves, drawn up by low pressure and then excited by high winds. October, routinely a month of storms, swells rivers with silt from heavy autumn rains and sends it coursing towards the coast to meet the angry surf. So far, there is no sign of stormy weather on the horizon, but October is the month of surprises, so it is still a wise move to pack away your garden furniture. 

I’m sure that, when I was a child, most deciduous trees had lost their coats of leaves by November. It certainly feels as though they hang on to them for longer now. I recall a large local horse chestnut tree that I’m sure was always bare by Guy Fawkes Night. The only exception was a small, faded-green patch of leaves around a streetlight; they defiantly clung to their branches for weeks after the rest had dropped. With trees still carrying a full sail of leaves in October, they can become vulnerable to autumn storms, particularly those from the east, as most are braced for the prevailing westerlies. With a full jacket of leaves, they must fight to stay rooted. Many an overstretched birch loses the battle, while veteran oaks simply shrug disdainfully and discard a limb or two. Clearing up and making areas safe are often features of autumn work on NWT reserves, with blocked access routes and damaged fencing being a particular worry.

October is the twitchers’ month, as migrating birds can be thrown off course by these storms. Jutting out into the North Sea, the North Norfolk coast has always been a popular spot for birdwatchers in autumn. NWT Cley Marshes and NWT Holme Dunes have hosted more rare, ‘twitchable’ birds than anyone cares to remember. Visitors to Cley at the tail end of September probably saw NWT’s ‘Machine Man’, Paul Lambert, working his magic with a 360 digger. The reprofiling of Whitwell Scrape will benefit a greater array of species, with deeper areas and channels holding water at varying depths throughout spring and summer. A good splash of wet weather in the coming months will make it perfect for Cley’s winter ducks and waders. Although with reservoir levels across the county exceptionally low, it will still take many months of above-average rainfall to replenish them and, of course, our precious wetlands.

With the increase in moth trapping as a hobby, it isn’t just birds that can draw attention - many rare migratory moths are caught and recorded in October. Like birdwatchers, lepidopterists don’t need the advice of climate scientists to know that we are living through rapid environmental change. Just as egrets have led the march north from the Mediterranean, a whole suite of winners and losers can be found among the ranks of moths. Moths are excellent indicators, not just of the changing climate, but also of the health of all kinds of environmental factors. These include habitat fragmentation and degradation, as well as the effects of chemical and light pollution on other invertebrates. 

NWT Technical Specialist James Symonds discovered a moth species new to the county in the Brecklands, only days after it had first been recorded nearby. It is one that can probably be added to the growing list of climate-change indicators. James stated: ‘Phyllonorycter medicaginella was only added to the British list in 2021, after it was first found in Kent. One was discovered in Suffolk on the third of October and then one in Norfolk on the fifth.’ It is a tiny leaf-miner moth but, nevertheless, quite an attractive species when viewed closely. James has a particular interest, as this moth could have an impact on a rare plant species in the Brecks: ‘Our native subspecies of lucerne is the sickle medick; however, the continental subspecies has been grown widely as a fodder crop. As a result, cross-pollination has created a hybrid known by the common name sand lucerne. Sand lucerne is everywhere, coating road verges and forest rides, and this is a conservation issue for our native species, which is steadily being replaced. Pure sickle medick is now very rare in the Brecklands.’ James found and reared an adult moth from mining caterpillars on the hybrid sand lucerne and concluded, ‘It will be interesting to see if the moth has a preference for the hybrid or will be ubiquitous across several similar plant species, including the sickle medick.’

We have known for many decades about the consequences of invasive, non-native introductions. However, the continuing climate crisis may well present increasingly complex conservation challenges as new species spread, either by their own volition or with human assistance.

What to look for in November

November is an excellent time to enjoy wildlife, particularly spectacular winter birdlife. Thousands of pink-footed geese have arrived from Iceland and Greenland, filling the skies at dawn and dusk with their distinctive calls. In Norfolk, large flocks can gather on fields of recent harvested sugar-beet - they love the discarded beet-tops. The North Norfolk coast offers wonderful opportunities to spot waders, wildfowl and brent geese, while marsh harriers and barn owls hunt over the reedbeds and saltmarshes. Grey seals gather at Blakeney Point and Horsey, in late November pups may be seen resting on the beaches, but please keep your distance, particularly if you have a dog. Look out for redwings and fieldfares feeding on berries in hedgerows. 

Take action for wildlife

With autumn approaching and vegetation clearance a common job around the garden, hedgehogs are often the victims of injury by strimmers. Checking the undergrowth before cutting is always advisable, as is checking bonfires prior to lighting them. In early November, hedgehogs are searching for a safe place to hibernate, and I'm sure many fail to resist crawling into a neatly prepared and snug-looking pile of wood, leaves and branches. Of course, little do they know that Guy Fawkes Night awaits them. 

You can find out more about how to check your bonfire for hedgehogs here.