Nature in November

If you want to see one of nature’s greatest spectacles visit Teifi Marshes Natural Reserve where starlings put on a mesmerising show called murmuration as they swoop and swirl and return to their winter roost after feeding.

Red squirrels will be busy searching for food to see them through the winter. One of the best places to see these gorgeous mammals is Plas Newydd on Anglesey or Parc Mawr at the northern tip of Eryri National Park.  

In November not only are the trees forming a glorious tapestry of fiery reds, glowing oranges, coppers and golden yellows but berries like small jewels are in abundance in our parks and gardens providing a vital source of food and attracting birds from all over the world to Wales.

From Scandinavia, Redwings flock to feast on the berries produced by hedgerow shrubs such as Hawthorn and Elder.

In orchards you may spot Fieldfares feasting on fallen fruit to replenish the energy they have used on their travels from their breeding grounds in Iceland and Northern Europe.

On your local lake or pond, look out for a Wigeon or a Teal feeding on aquatic plants and small invertebrates, having travelled from as far away as Russia to escape the freezing winter temperatures.

During woodland walks look out for the beautiful colours of lichens, a mix of fungi and algae, usually hidden by ferns but which magically appear as the ferns die back with the colder weather.

The Celtic Rainforests, found in areas close to the sea, are home to rare plants, forest fungi and many beautiful lichens. Here you can search for species like the Tree Lungwort, a bright green lichen that resembles a pair of billowing lungs!