The Autumnwatch team will be joining forces with The One Show at the end of October to produce a series of three short films and live link ups on location, to bring audiences their much-loved nature fix.

Returning to screens on Tuesday 24, Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 October, the nature series will showcase a season rich with colour and vibrant activity.

In films specially shot for The One Show, Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Gillian Burke will be on location across the country, capturing some of the stunning behaviour and seasonal changes of British wildlife.

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Chris Packham

What’s the most spectacular wildlife scene you’ve captured in your Autumnwatch special?

The red deer rut in autumn is fabulous. Big roaring mammals locked in combat, strutting in the mist. It’s the best show in the woods, primal, exciting, involving.

You captured the rutting season in this series of Autumnwatch. Why is the New Forest in Hampshire so special for red deer?

The New Forest has an isolated population of large and healthy Red Deer and we get to see them in their real habitat forest, not out on a barren hillside. Amongst the trees they look and sound magnificent.

Gillian Burke

Animal behaviours are often unpredictable – are there any which have stood out for you whilst filming your special?

We often think about what to look out for when it comes to wildlife, but listening out for wildlife can be really, if not more, special. On this shoot we were in the plantation woodland of Kielder Forest where the tree density meant a limited line of sight, and much of the wildlife high above our heads in the treetops. As we waited for nightfall and the owls to come alive, a flock of crossbills passing overhead was a fantastic, ethereal sound.

How do you compare capturing nocturnal animals to daytime?

Filming nocturnal animals is like a visit to the ‘opposite world’ where nocturnal animals move about at ease while we, on the other hand, are completely out of our element without the help of thermal imaging and infrared cameras.

Approaching tawny owl territory had to be done on their terms – quietly and, once in position, standing stock-still in the dark to let the forest settle and get used to our presence. We were blessed with a clear night where, in the Dark Sky Reserve of Kielder Forest, thousands of pin-pricks of star light glinting through the treetops was the only light we could see. Hearing the hoot and shriek of the owls cutting through the forest air took the experience to the next level.

Iolo Williams

RSPB Arne in Dorset has been a key filming location for the series. What’s so special about this area?

I’ve known Arne for 40 years and it really is a special place because it’s so different to anything I’d find in mid Wales. The variety of species on one reserve makes the place really exciting and you can find everything from the giant raft spider, smooth snake, Dartford Warblers to sand lizards all in one area. The diversity of habitats too makes the place unique and you can spot wildlife amongst the coastal heaths, woodlands, lagoons and salt marshes.

Are there any spectacular live wildlife moments?

This spring our live cameras caught a nightjar eating its own chick at Arne, something that has never been recorded before. Every now and then we record something revolutionary on The Watches and that moment really stood out to me!

Michaela Strachan

Autumn marks a special time in nature’s calendar – is there a favourite wildlife moment you have managed to capture?

One of my all-time favourite British wildlife experiences was a spectacle we filmed in late Autumn early Winter when we were in Arne in 2017. It happened near Poole Harbour in Studland and it was a Starling murmuration. We were incredibly lucky to see it as it was the first time it had been seen there since 1986/87 and since then, apparently, it has been very unpredictable. But that night, it was a truly memorable performance.

The sunset was stunning and provided the most gorgeous backdrop to the unique aerial ballet of thousands of starlings swirling and swooping up above, making extraordinary patterns in the sky before funnelling down into their winter roost site in the reeds. The sight and sound was utterly beautiful.

You captured the largest colony of horseshoe bats in the UK. Is Devon home to any other interesting wildlife?

Well, a starling murmuration is a pretty good start! You should be able to find one in Devon, the Exe Reedbeds are worth checking out as well as over Burgh Island. Do a bit of research though as they do change from year to year and sometimes only start around November. But if you’ve never seen one before, I’d really recommend it. Autumn is when red deer stags are in full showing off mode and the red deer rut is always worth an outing to the moors.

Watching the drama unfold, to see which impressive stag will win his harem of hinds and deserve the right to mate, is just as exciting as the Rugby World Cup and definitely more exciting than the cricket World Cup! Take a camera as you should get some awesome photo opportunities with a bit of patience and obviously respect for not disturbing or getting too close. If you’re looking for cute then head to some of the sheltered beaches and coves where grey seals are pupping, like Lundy Island or Ilfracombe Harbour. The pups are very sensitive to disturbance, so again, obviously keep a respectable distance.

Take a trip to the tidal mud flats at the Exe Estuary to see thousands of wildfowl and waders. Our shores are a hotspot for birds migrating from further north to overwinter here and feed up on the abundance of food found in mud flats. Take your binoculars and a bird book and try and identify different species. It’s a great time of year to take a walk in the heathlands and enjoy the gorgeous purple and yellow colours of the heather and gorse and of course a fungi foray into the woods is always an autumn treat.