UK wildlife in October: what to see, and where

Happening in October

• Seal pups in Pembrokeshire
  Grey seal pups are born in the Pembrokeshire coves. Watch from the clifftop, never the beach. Grey seal
• The deer rut
  Red deer stags roar and fallow bucks groan. Red deer and fallow deer

Moments worth waiting for

What the animals are up to this month, the most seasonal first.

• The rut Fallow deer · dawn, dusk and night
  A buck stands on his rutting stand, neck stretched, groaning in a slow rhythm while does drift nearby.
• Taking grit Bearded tit · dawn and day
  They fluff and scuttle over a sandy path, picking up grit.
• Burying acorns Grey squirrel · day and dawn
  A squirrel digs a small hole, drops an acorn, pats down the soil, and looks around.
• Feeding on windfalls Red admiral · day
  A red admiral spreads its wings on a fallen apple, uncoiling its tongue to sip the juice.
• Eyespot flash Peacock · day
  Disturbed, the butterfly flicks its wings open and hisses, eyespots glaring.
• The rut Red deer · dawn and dusk
  A stag stands rigid on the ridge, throws back his head and roars; the sound rolls across the glen while hinds huddle nearby.
• Burying acorns Jay · dawn and day
  A jay lands with a bulging throat, pushes an acorn into the moss and covers it with a leaf.
• Autumn group flight Bearded tit · dawn
  A party of bearded tits pings up above the reeds and flops down again.
• A charm on the teasel Goldfinch · day
  A charm of goldfinches clings to a teasel head, picking seeds and tinkling to each other.
• Worm hunting Buzzard · day
  A buzzard walks across a wet field on its long legs, pulling up earthworms.
• White-coat pup Grey seal · dawn and day
  On a quiet beach a white-coated pup lies motionless while its mother watches the surf, ready to nurse.
• Dawn flight-out Pink-footed goose · dawn
  A long, calling skein of pink-feet streams high over the marsh at first light, heading inland to feed.
• Whiffling Pink-footed goose · day and dusk
  Geese tip and tumble from height as they drop towards the fields.
• Bow-riding school Common dolphin · day
  A school of dolphins races in from the side, then surfs the bow wave, flashing tan-and-grey flanks just below the surface.
• Family flock on the move Long-tailed tit · day
  A dozen long-tailed tits pour along the hedge one behind another, calling all the time.
• Daytime hunting Barn owl · day
  A white owl drifts over the marsh in daylight.
• Kew-wick and hoot Tawny owl · dusk and night
  From two dark trees a female calls 'kew-wick' and a male answers with a long quavering hoot.
• Cubs learning to swim Otter · dawn and dusk
  A mother otter noses her cubs into the water, chirping to keep them close.

Where to look

At their best in October, quickest to see first, with the best time of day.

Rare visitors

Not here most of the time, but October is when these can turn up: Glossy ibis, yellow-browed warbler, Leach's storm-petrel, grey phalarope and white-tailed eagle.

Moths on the wing

Coming to a garden moth trap in October: Angle shades, merveille du jour, convolvulus hawk-moth, death's-head hawk-moth and Clifden nonpareil. All the moths, and how to trap them kindly.

Nature notes for October

• Where to see starling murmurations in the UK this winter
• Where to see grey seal pups in the UK, and when they're born
• When do hedgehogs hibernate in the UK?
• When is the red deer rut, and where can you see it?