Fall preview on The One Show

Back by popular demand, Autumnwatch returns to The One Show on Tuesday 29, Wednesday 30 and with a special Halloween edition on Thursday 31 October 2024 with host Chris Packham celebrating the brightest time of the year.

This year Chris will be performing live at Wytham Woods in Oxford, often referred to as the most studied forest in the world. It’s the perfect place to immerse yourself in the wildlife, science and beauty of the season.

Badgers from Wytham Woods – Chris’s first Forest Lister. With live thermal cameras ready to capture them as they leave the set at dusk, Chris explores how their diet will change at this time of year to make the most of what the season offers.

Chris also explores the mental health benefits of being in an autumn forest and why you should take the time to stop and spot the hidden treasures. When you do, a variety of wildlife wonders are revealed, as Chris learns when he meets moth expert Liam Crowley and they explore the science of camouflage.

Thursday’s Autumnwatch is Halloween, so Chris explores why some of our favorite animals have become synonymous with the season. Bats, owls, crows and frogs, to name a few, are firmly embedded in our folklore, so Chris explores the roots of each story and whether these species deserve to be demonized.

• Watch Autumnwatch on The One Show on BBC iPlayer and BBC One on Tuesday 29 October, Wednesday 30 October and Thursday 31 October at 7pm

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Interview with Chris Peckham

Why was Wytham Woods chosen as the venue for this year’s Autumnwatch?

Chris Packham: We really wanted to be in an autumn forest to show the best of the season and Wytham Woods in Oxfordshire is one of them, if not in the most studied forest area in the world. So it combines beauty and science, the two things we love most about The Watches.

In this series, you will focus on badgers in particular. What can the audience learn about their behavior during the fall?

We start the first evening with badgers, because they are the real star of the forests in Witham. With over 250 badgers on the site, there’s a good chance you’ll see them live on The One Show. Like many other animals, autumn is a time to stock up ahead of the colder months and at this time of year badgers change their diet to make the most of what the season has to offer. We find out what this change in diet means for badgers. . . by meeting a scientist who studies their poo!

You use thermal imaging cameras to photograph wildlife in Witham Woods. How does this technology improve our understanding of animals like badgers? How much did you learn about new technical achievements during the filming of the series?

Badgers are nocturnal, so when they do leave their roosts, it’s usually under the cover of night, so it’s hard for us to observe their behavior. Being able to film them with a thermal imaging camera gives us a really privileged view of what they do after they leave the set and when they are foraging at night. It also gives us insight into the family dynamics within their group as they play, groom and socialize.

During the 20 years we’ve been filming Watchmen, we’ve been lucky enough to be at the forefront of testing and deploying new camera technologies that not only allow us to watch our UK wildlife under the cover of night, but also 24 hours a day. day. This ability allowed us to witness incredible behavior that even the people who make a living studying these animals had no idea about. To me, that’s what makes things exciting. We never learn, we even discovered things we hadn’t seen before – nothing compares to that!

You already mentioned that autumn is a time of recycling and preparation for nature. Can you explain how the season affects wildlife and their behavior?

Autumn is a transitional season. For wildlife, this often means escaping our cold weather and moving south to find a warmer climate, or for those living much further north in Iceland and Scandinavia, arriving here to escape an even colder climate, such as pink geese, who arrive here in their thousands at this time of year. For others, it is feeding and settling time, like squirrels and badgers. It’s recycling time for our flora, their fallen leaves decompose and contribute to the formation of nutrient-rich soils that will feed the next generation of plants and trees.

You will explore the mental health benefits of spending time in autumn forests. Could you tell us more about why nature is especially restorative in autumn?

Autumn tickles all senses. Visually, colors are a pleasure that everyone likes. This lures people to their local parks, where they may overlook the mental health benefits of being outdoors. But then there’s a sound: our tawny owls begin to screech, something that can be heard across the UK, even in the heart of our cities.

Deer are on the prowl, which means lots of barking and moaning in the fog, and at night, migratory birds will be chirping in our night sky. But for me it’s a smell. Autumn smells wonderful, so rich, earthy, ripe, like a delicious fresh fruit pie made with the best natural ingredients. Just go out and grab a handful of leaf litter and humus, stick your nose in there, take a deep breath – absorb the season.

If you could be an animal in Witham Woods for a day, who would you be and why?

I would be one of the animals we will feature in the series: the Merveille Du Jour moth. Their ability to blend in with their environment is remarkable. That way I could sit quietly in my chosen tree and just soak up the beauty and life happening around me, and hopefully my ingenious camouflage would protect me from being eaten (!). That said, I love jackdaws too, although I’d be less inclined to spend the night with thousands of others, all the noise and fuss would drive me crazy!

Thursday’s episode is all about Halloween, where you delve into the folklore surrounding animals like bats, owls and frogs. Why do you think these creatures are associated with spooky traditions?

Well, you might have to tune in to find out, because that’s exactly what we’ll be exploring in our Halloween episode. Frogs are the obvious one because of their toxic glands, which have often been associated with witchcraft and potions… but as for the others… well, Thursday night will reveal some Halloween folklore. Expect bats, owls and other “nocturnal creatures”!

Are there any spooky season animal myths you want to bust?

Myths are a part of our lives, but sometimes they need to be dispelled because science trumps knowledge. By improving our knowledge, we can improve our ability to conserve some species that are in real trouble. Bats are a partial example, as declining insect populations and habitat loss threaten many species in the UK, so getting people to love bats rather than fear them is a worthwhile mission.

How do you think the show will inspire viewers to get more involved and connected with nature?

Our goal and mission at The Watches is to show our audience how amazing our natural world is. How beautiful, how delicate, how inspiring, how incredibly intricate, complex and perfectly tuned. The undeniable mental health benefits that being outdoors in nature can bring, and ultimately, that it’s all within everyone’s reach. Nature does not discriminate. We hope that if people see and love the natural world around them, they will want to protect it.

Finally, what would you most like viewers to see or learn from this year’s Autumnwatch specials?

I want viewers to see that this season is not about death and decay, it is a time of rich and varied abundance and one of the best times to connect with nature, learn to love it and get a good dose of “natural health”. Autumn is simply gorgeous.