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Despite the brisk air and shorter daylight hours, a leading conservation charity and a celebrated TV nature specialist have collaborated to inspire more people to engage with the outdoors during the autumn and winter months.

New Program Aims to Boost Nature Connection

A new campaign titled “Wild Senses” is being launched in conjunction with a recent television series where the wildlife expert showcases the British yearly cycles and motivates viewers to notice, appreciate, and reconnect with local wildlife.

This follows a recent survey suggests that many individuals feel disconnected from nature in darker, chillier months. While the overwhelming percentage stated that being in nature boosted their mental health, only a third felt equally connected with nature throughout the year.

Embracing Autumn’s Natural Delights

The expert explained that autumn is one of his preferred seasons, full of the sights, sounds, and smells of the wild. From birds arriving to spend winter in the UK to the taste of foraged fungi, there is much to discover.

“For me, autumn is the time to use all your senses,” he remarked. “Consider vision: the foliage hues are stunning. There’s the visual and auditory spectacle of what I call the seasonal shift as the birds of summer head off to Africa and the winter thrushes and migratory geese appear.”

He added, “With a bit of knowledge, you can gather wild mushrooms. And the deer mating season is taking place at the moment. Wake up, go to the middle of a green space, sit yourself down, and just listen to those deer calls. There is so much that people can listen to, experience, sense, perceive, see. Autumn is likely the best month for it.”

Nature is Everywhere

One of the key messages from the expert’s show is that nature is ubiquitous – in urban areas as well as the countryside.

“For example, you have the fastest living creature, the urban raptor, living in our metropolises,” he said. “You’ve got one of the most intelligent, which is the pigeon. You’ve got one of the most cunning, the city fox. We’ve got badgers, hedgehogs, all sorts of gems. Sometimes in our cities it might appear like there isn’t any nature. But if you just pause for a moment, you’ll be amazed at what you can find.”

Survey Shows Time-Based Gap in Outdoor Activity

In the survey, nine out of ten of participants indicated that being in nature had a highly beneficial or moderately good impact on their health. But only about a third reported they felt connected with nature across all seasons uniformly. Just 13% expressed they felt most connected to nature in autumn, while for winter it was a only tiny percentage.

Fresh Tools to Foster Deeper Nature Connections

To encourage people to engage with nature more intimately, the organization has released a fresh program with a free walking app, featuring three guided routes in major cities that showcase parks and waterways.

The director general of the conservation charity stated: “Nature isn’t just in our nature reserves, it’s in our gardens, neighborhoods, and local park. Considering the fall, it truly offer a sensory feast: the sound of foliage, the scent of damp earth, the feel of conkers and the taste of hedgerow berries. This relationship is crucial for our health, particularly as shorter days set in.”