Based at the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust’s Warburg Nature Reserve deep in the Chilterns, PENNY SILVERWOOD has a ringside seat as the tones of autumn take centre stage.

As I drive along Bix Valley near Nettlebed, wildlife of some sort or another always slows my progress. At this time of year it’s pheasants comically zigzagging in front of the car, other times it’s red-legged partridge scattering over the hedge. Just occasionally I may glimpse a herd of fallow deer grazing at the woodland edge. The rich tones of autumn are just beginning to spread across the valley sides. It’s a wonderful start to my day.

Coppicing for wildlife As a trainee with the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust I’m getting practical experience and training in a huge number of conservation tasks. In autumn, we turn our attention to woodland management. For wildlife that lives in the open glades we use the traditional method of coppicing. With a team of volunteers we are cutting back an area of hazel trees and other scrub to ground level which is allowed to regrow. The regrowth can then be harvested a few years later and used for woodland products such as pea sticks, fence panels and charcoal. Recently coppiced areas let in more light to the woodland floor, allowing woodland flowers and young shoots to grow, providing food insects including the grizzled and dingy skipper butterflies. Older coppice is used by nesting birds and small mammals such as mice and shrews.

In search of dormice When we’ve downed our tools after a hard day’s work, and our volunteers have headed home for a well-deserved dinner, there’s one more thing that I like to do, but time is running out. I’m ever hopeful that I’ll catch sight of a dormouse as it fattens up for winter, distinguished by its ginger furry coat and bushy tail. These tiny charismatic mammals, whose populations continue to decline in Britain, are gorging on hazelnuts, sloe berries and blackberries. Building up enough fat reserves is essential for their survival in hibernation through the harsh winter. Hazel dormice begin to hibernate as the autumn temperatures drop; their heart rate slows by 90 per cent so they can survive this long period on their fat reserves alone.

Though I can see the dormice nesting boxes which we have installed in amongst the old coppice to try to encourage this rare species to breed, I don’t see a dormouse. Maybe next time, if the weather stays warm.

Finding fungi The leaves haven’t yet fallen and so as it begins to rain, I stay mostly dry. For the fantastic fungi that grow at Warburg Nature Reserve it’s a case of the wetter, the better.

You can find over 900 different types of fungi here. Deep in the dark, damp beech woodland you may stumble across the striking magpie inkcap or the smoky-grey horn of plenty. As evening creeps in, my fungi foray will have to wait for another day. So much to see . . .

Why not join us at Warburg this autumn for a guided walk looking at the wildlife and history of the nature reserve. To book a place call the Warburg reserve office on 01491 642001, or visit www.bbowt.org.uk for information on events across the trust this autumn.

l For more information on BBOWT call 01865 775476.