Tower and Town, October 2026 (view the full edition)Nature Notes: Season Of MistsOctober is when autumn begins to make its presence felt. The mornings have a distinctive chill, mist often hangs over the river valley and in the combes up on the Downs. The darker evenings are drawing in, so my evening walks will have to wait until spring. Up in Savernake Forest, October brings the arrival of our winter visitors. Bramblings begin to appear, having travelled south from Scandinavia and northern Europe. They often join flocks of Chaffinches, feeding beneath the trees on fallen beech mast. Siskins and Redpolls also become more noticeable, often moving through the treetops in lively flocks as they search for seeds. Listen out for the Siskin’s soft, rising “tsu-ee” and the Redpoll’s sharper “chet-chet-chet” overhead, as you will often hear these small finches before you see them. Hawfinches become easier to find during autumn and winter as they search amongst the leaf litter for fallen hornbeam seeds. The largest of our finches, with an unmistakably powerful bill, they are a wonderful bird to come across. In 2022, we had a memorable influx in Savernake, when a flock of up to 30 Hawfinches could be seen feeding on the ground amongst the leaf litter. They can be difficult to hear and spot, so seeing that many together was quite a sight. Hopefully, this autumn might bring another good year for them. On warmer October days, Red Admirals and Commas may still be on the wing, while Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells begin searching for sheltered places to hibernate through winter. Sheds, garages, outbuildings and hollow trees can all provide somewhere safe and dry. If you find a hibernating butterfly in your house, please don’t put it outside. Leave it where it is if you can, or move it to a cool, sheltered spot in a shed or outbuilding where it can continue its hibernation. When the warmer days of spring return, it will wake from its winter sleep and be ready to venture outside again. With winter visitors arriving, butterflies preparing for hibernation and the woodland changing around us, October feels like autumn has well and truly arrived.    Helen Llewelyn |