Hedgehog

A mix of external and internal cues prompt hedgehogs to hibernate, including longer nights, falling temperatures, waning food supplies and body condition. So, while more hedgehogs are now out and about well into November and beyond, rather than hibernating, it is hard to pinpoint the main reasons.

Red Admiral Butterfly

Often the red admiral will be your last butterfly of the year, as well as the first you see the next. It is no longer unusual to see the species active in November.
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Common Blackbird

At this time of year, you can’t be certain that these or any other blackbirds are ‘yours’, as large numbers arrive from Scandinavia and eastern Europe to winter in the UK.
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Common Beech Tree

​Autumn is a great time to commune with trees – when temperatures fall, the seasonal transformation of our deciduous woodlands can be dramatic.

Brown Hare

​As winter approaches, hares seek whatever shelter they can find, often entering the edges of woods. They will lie up in cover by day, but venture out in the evening to feed. Hares have a surprisingly wide diet, which at this time of year can include woodland vegetation, twigs and bark.

Slime Mould

​Neither plant nor animal, slime moulds used to be thought of as fungi, but are now classed as their own group of single-cellular organisms. They love damp autumnal woods and often form gloopy mats or mounds on wet leaf litter, logs and tree trunks.

Common Juniper

​Juniper is among the most ancient trees in the British Isles, having colonised quickly after the end of the last ice age. It is one of just three native British conifers, the others being yew and Scots pine.

Redwing

​Redwings pour into the UK in their tens of thousands from Iceland, Russia and Scandinavia, staying until March. Despite the name of our smallest species of thrush, it is the creamy markings on the head that first catch the eye.

Red Deer

Fallow Deer - Attingham Park

Where to see Deer

October and November are exciting times to see deer as they engage in mating battles, the rut. Rutting activity is most intense soon after dawn, though some activity occurs throughout the day. Deer are interesting to watch because their behaviour changes as the rut progresses. Males can be very aggressive, people have been attacked, so don’t get too close.
Deer, red and fallow, can be seen on the Powis Estate at Welshpool. You can walk on the paved driveway but not into the estate as this is private but the deer can often be seen from the driveway, no dogs please.
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Another venue is Attingham Park National Trust near Shrewsbury where around 200 fallow deer, descended from the original deer herd started in 1798, live in the park. From the middle of November Attingham’s Rangers start to feed the deer their daily winter rations of whole fodder beet and deer nuts to help them through the winter. Check their web site for feeding times when it is often easy to see the deer.

The Perfect Time for Nuts.. (content and posters taken from Shropshire Wildlife Trust blog)

Every nut is a perfect survival capsule. The hard outer case protects the contents, which in turn provide everything the embryo tree inside needs to germinate and grow a good root so it can develop and make its own food.
All that goodness inside also makes it a perfect food for other creatures too, from mice and squirrels to hungry humans.