Life slows down for winter on the League Against Cruel Sports’ wildlife reserves

November is the time when wildlife slows down in readiness for the winter to come.

The long hot summer seems a distant memory now that the temperature has dropped and the hours of daylight have reduced. Here on Exmoor, it barely gets light on some days before nighttime descends again. Even on these days, it is important for your mental and physical wellbeing to get outside at least for a short while to connect with nature.

Storm Claudia took most of the leaves off the trees on the League’s wildlife reserves and now just a sprinkling of tired survivors hang on. It is tempting to start sweeping the fallen leaves up and tidying them away, but a pile of leaves can provide a valuable wildlife habitat for overwintering insects, as well as for small mammals such as hedgehogs and hazel dormice. If you have a garden, you can help wildlife by leaving a pile of leaves in a quiet corner.

The red deer rutting period has subsided, but a good number of stags remain on the wildlife reserves making the most of the peaceful conditions. As seems to be the way nowadays, the ‘rut’ has been a drawn-out affair, with different stags coming and going. One new stag has only just arrived onto the Baronsdown reserve, but I’m afraid he is a bit late to the party, although he hasn’t quite got the message yet.

Winter visitors have started to appear on the wildlife reserves too. Large flocks of starlings and woodpigeons march purposefully across the fields, probing the ground for insects and seeds, before wheeling away in a whirring mass as they are disturbed. Tiny goldcrests have also arrived to escape the cold weather further north, along with enigmatic woodcock, a bird rarely seen in the day unless flushed from its resting place.

In these uncertain times, it is comforting to know that the League’s wildlife reserves continue to protect animals and allow nature to thrive.