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Things to look out for in September

September is a time of change as summer begins to run into autumn. Weather can change from heat wave to howling gale in no time. Flowers and insects are trying to cling on to the last fine days of summer and for birds it is a time of arrivals and departures.

Summer visitors such as swallows and warblers head south while flocks of migrating waders stop off on their way from their Arctic breeding grounds to warmer climes. The seabird migration is also at its peak in September.

From mid September we see the first signs of autumn appearing in the form of nuts and berries. Blackberries, rose hips, cob nuts and acorns provide instant food for our blackbirds, jays and blackcaps as well as storage supplies for grey squirrels.

The cool, damp mornings encourage the appearance of mushrooms and toadstools which spend the majority of the year underground. There is an amazing array of fungi having different shapes, smells, colours and fascinating names. A walk with a fungi expert would be an interesting experience.

Make the most of Keat's “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” and get out into the countryside before the chill of autumn really takes hold.

Good places to visit in September

• Bird Observatory at Dungeness
• Holborough Marshes TQ 707626
• South Swale Local Nature Reserve TR 060648