1. In autumn, you may hear
the strange whistling cries
of sika stags, in their
annual rut to compete for
females. Sika deer are
huge, and the easiest deer
to see at Arne – you may be
lucky enough to get quite
close.They are not part of
our native wildlife, unlike
the smaller roe deer, which
also lives here, but is shy.
Sika deer
MikeLane(rspb-images.com)

2. Thrill to the spectacle of
around 30,000 birds that
come south to gather on
Poole Harbour each winter.
Wading birds are joined by
huge numbers of ducks,
geese and swans, including
this beautiful red-breasted
merganser.This lively sea
duck has a “sawbill”, ideal
for catching and eating fish.
DavidKjaer(rspb-images.com)
Red-breasted
merganser

3. Arne is a great place for
walks at any time of year.
Miles of paths will take you
through our ancient oak
and birch woods and over
the vast heaths.The sea is
never far away so don’t
miss the breathtaking
views and glimpses of
Poole Harbour.
Woodland
DavidKjaer(rspb-images.com)

4. Look for these storybook
toadstools in damp autumn
weather, glowing under the
trees in the woods. When
they first pop up, they are
small and dark red. Each
day, they get paler, flatter
and bigger and may be
nibbled by small animals –
but don’t try eating them!
Fly agaric
JodieRandall(rspb-images.com)

5. During autumn migration,
we never know what might
turn up here at Arne. Like
most birds that eat insects
and spiders, wheatears
leave Britain in autumn for
Africa.This is just one of the
migrants that use Arne as a
final UK feeding stop,
where they can build up
their strength before
heading south.
Wheatear
NigelBlake(rspb-images.com)

6. Out on the farm, we grow
crops of plants to feed birds
during the difficult days of
autumn and winter.
Sunflowers, thistles and
teasels produce big
seedheads which attract
flocks of seed-eating birds
such as house sparrows
and finches.This goldfinch
is on a teasel.
Goldfinch
RayKennedy(rspb-images.com)

7. Ospreys leave most of the
UK during August and
September, heading south
to spend the winter in
Africa. Some stop off here
to build up their strength for
their long journey – watch
for them fishing in the
harbour until early
November.They are big
birds with short tails, long
wings and small heads.
Osprey
PeterCairns(rspb-images.com)

8. This unusual stripy spider
finds a safe home here.You
are most likely to notice the
female – the male is much
smaller and is only active
for a couple of weeks in the
summer.They need
undisturbed long grass
where they can build webs
close to the ground and
catch grasshoppers and
beetles to eat.
Wasp spider
RichardRevels(rspb-images.com)

9. Arne is a great place for
walks at any time of year,
with miles of paths that take
you through the woods and
over the vast heaths.The
sea is never far away so
enjoy the breathtaking
views. Poole to the east is
easy to see – but can you
pick out the shape of Corfe
Castle to the south?
Enjoy the view
DavidKjaer(rspb-images.com)

10. This beautiful, noisy crow is
easy to see in our oak
woods in autumn, gathering
acorns. It collects huge
numbers, which it buries as
a store of food for winter
and spring, memorising
where it has put them so it
can return later.The ones it
doesn’t eat eventually pop
up as oak saplings, helping
the wood to grow.
Jay
EdwinKats(rspb-images.com)

11. This striking relative of our
thrushes and blackbirds
moves here from the north
and east in autumn and
winter. Fieldfares usually
move around in flocks,
often with another “winter
thrush” species, the
redwing. Look for them out
on the heath, or feasting on
a crop of succulent berries.
Fieldfare
MarkHamblin(rspb-images.com)

12. Quick and acrobatic, blue
tits are always a delight to
watch, whether on a garden
feeder or hanging upside
down from the tiniest twig.
The food we provide in our
gardens can help them
through the winter but in
spring and summer the best
food for their young is
spiders or insects –
especially caterpillars.
Blue tits
GenevieveLeaper(rspb-images.com)

13. Enjoy the spectacle of the
UK’s biggest winter flock of
avocets, just yards in front
of you. Using their
distinctive upcurved beaks,
these elegant black and
white wading birds sweep
shallow water or the oozing
mud for food, or take off in
synchronised flocks. Just 70
years ago, avocets were
extinct in the UK.
Avocets
AndyHay(rspb-images.com)

14. In autumn and winter, this
beautiful bird of prey hunts
over the heath – ideal open
ground to search for
rodents and small birds to
eat.They have long legs and
toes, which allow them to
walk through long heather
to catch their prey.This is a
female, or “ringtail”. Males
are pale grey.
Hen harrier
SteveKnell(rspb-images.com)