Other Autumnwatch stories from across the UK

Autumnwatch has been filming across the British Isles covering the best seasonal wildlife stories, including:

Presenter-led films

Swan vs. Goose
It is autumn and the swans and geese are starting to arrive back on our shores in ever increasing numbers. These birds heave their large and heavy bodies up into the air and across thousands of miles to get back to the UK. This autumn Chris Packham and Martin Hughes-Games have travelled to an airfield to get a closer look at how they do it. Expect slow-motion footage, serious science, stopwatches galore and plenty of bickering – as Autumnwatch meets Top Gun.

Cornwall’s Beavers
Earlier this year, a farmer began an experiment on his land to try to find out the effects that just a few beavers could have on the terrible flooding that has plagued the area for the past few years. In just a few months the beavers have transformed the landscape. Gillian Burke visited to see how busy the beavers have been and to evaluate the possible benefits that this native species might bring

Bee Eaters
Usually associated with sunnier climes the colourful Bee-eater are rare visitors to the UK. However, in recent years increasing numbers have been attempting to breed here - and this summer one colony in Nottinghamshire attracted a lot of attention. Michaela Strachan met Mark Thomas from the RSPB to see what the fuss was all about.

Basking Sharks
Scotland is a stronghold for the world’s basking sharks, the cold water rich with the plankton that they search the oceans for, mouths agape. Recently, reports had started to come in that these oceanic cruisers had been spotted near the mouth of the Clyde, not far from Glasgow. Lucy Cooke travels to Scotland to find out more, hoping that if the stars align she might get to meet one of these giants face to face.

Highlight films

Willow Emerald Damselfly
A shimmer of metallic green and a flicker of delicate wings, the spectacular Willow Emerald Damselfly is a recent colonist to the UK - first appearing in recordable numbers in 2009. Unusually for damselflies, this species is an autumn breeder, laying their eggs in a surprising place, well out of the water. We follow their story; from the mating dance to egg laying in the last of summer warmth.

Fulmars - the flying dustbins
Raymond Besant is a cameraman with a passion for fulmars. He learnt his trade filming these beautiful seabirds in Scotland but more recently has noticed a worrying trend. They gained their dustbin nickname as they skim food off the surface of the ocean – but as our oceans become increasingly choked with floating plastic debris, the fulmars are filling up on rubbish rather than food.

Harvest Mouse house
With a name that screams autumn, the harvest mouse is Europe’s smallest rodent and one of our most industrious. Its extreme small size means that it has to keep itself constantly busy to survive. During the autumn the cycle of eating, building nests and staying away from predators is a full-time job.

Tadpole shrimp - a dinosaur in your puddle
In a few small areas of the UK, a prehistoric-looking animal prowls the puddles. The tadpole shrimp is a freshwater crustacean with a remarkable lifecycle. Lying dormant in soil for the summer, the eggs start to hatch as the water builds in an ephemeral pool. It’s then a race against time for these line-like creatures – they need to eat, mate and lay their own eggs before everything dries up once more.

People-led films

Rob MacFarlane on JA Baker
Twenty five years ago renowned nature author Rob Macfarlane read a book that changed his life: JA Baker's The Peregrine. In this beautiful film, Rob explores the extraordinary writing that makes this book stand out, and looks at its legacy on the 50th anniversary of its publication.

The Illustrators
Brothers Richard and Ian Lewington are the most prolific and respected wildlife illustrators of their time. They’ve illustrated some of the most famous and well know wildlife identification guides used by countless naturalists worldwide. We delve into their lives to discover what inspires them and follow the process of how they create their exquisite anatomically accurate creations.

Westonbirt Poetry
Marchant has cerebral palsy but won’t let that get in the way of his twin passions - writing poetry and being among the trees. This year he has brought them together in a remarkable exhibition at Westonbirt Arboretum, exploring some of the iconic individual trees in the UK’s most famous collection through verses hung from their boughs for all to enjoy.

Kate MacRae’s badger sett
Kate has been a friend of the show for many years often ahead of the team in developing and trying new technologies for herself. Over the last year she fulfilled a long-held ambition, tempting badgers into a specially designed filming sett to reveal some incredible and intimate behaviour.

Related BBC Links

• Springwatch 2017