AFTER a stunning autumn with many shades of red, yellow and orange liberally draped across our landscape, colours will once again slowly fade to a dull, drab brown heralding the arrival of winter.

Dull and drab are what many people bring to mind when speaking of this time of year but, were it not for the changing of the seasons, our landscape would be far less interesting.

Across the district, local nature reserves will take on a new look, like a new slide being pushed into the projector. With leaves falling to the ground, secret gardens are revealed, light shining in on areas for the first time in months. But it is taken away quickly, as darkness falls earlier.

These dark nights make it so much easier to explore and find our nocturnal creatures.

It is a wonderful thing, taking a walk by moonlight and listening to the many, sometimes eerie, sounds which our reserves provide.

You won't hear many birds at night. They are unable to find food then so they sleep protected by darkness. Of course, there are exceptions, but the night shift is one for the skilled worker.

Out on their silent wings, with keen eyesight and hearing to match, small creatures, such as mice and voles, had better beware.

They are mostly identified by a selection of calls. Of the three around our district the tawny owl call is the most familiar, a twit-twoo compared to the bone-chilling scream of the barn owl, and then there is the occasional, rather unmelodic, screech of the little owl.

Another sign that they were once there is the discovery of a "pellet". A bird often swallows things it cannot digest, such as bits of bone, fur or husk. These collect and are pressed together to form a lump or pellet which the bird coughs up.

The most familiar pellets belong to birds of prey, including owls, but many other birds produce pellets, but due to their size they are harder to find. Pellets can be dissected to reveal information on the birds' diet and feeding habits.

Many of the creatures you may hear at night, within the rustles of darkness, will leave little sign that they were there at all, unless a fall of snow or hard frost bites, and then the examining of tracks can begin.

Hopefully with all these, plus many other wildlife gems to look for, winter will be far from boring and will provide us with a wealth of wildlife to explore.