• Keep your bird feeders topped up daily with high energy foods such as sunflower hearts
• Put out some food on the ground (ideally clear away the snow first) to help ground feeding birds
• Put out fat balls - especially good for robins and long-tailed tits.
• Provide ice-free water for them to drink and bathe

And remember, on 30-31 January you can take part in the biggest national survey of garden birds, the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch - which will provide vital information on how our garden birds are coping with the Big Freeze.

1. Prolonged low temperatures and severe frosts, without breaks
2. Ice on trees and the ground
3. Freezing of rivers, lakes and shorelines
4. How much of Britain is under ice and snow
5. The timing of the freeze: the later it comes, the more birds die

So far, we can say that this winter ranks pretty highly on factors 1 and 4 - the cold spell has gone on for several weeks, and covered most of Britain. The other factors are less critical at the moment - though of course if the cold weather continues things may change.

And what about the coming spring? Are we likely to see numbers down for many of our common and familiar birds? In spring 1963 some species bred in much lower numbers than before: especially waterbirds such as the heron and kingfisher, and smaller birds such as the wren, goldcrest and long-tailed tit.

Things may be different this year - garden bird feeding will certainly help long-tailed tits, for example. It will certainly be interesting to see how the birds got on when we return for Springwatch.

Most importantly, how will bird populations be affected in the longer term?
Surprisingly, perhaps, the evidence here is that many species will recover very quickly - especially those that have several broods. Species such as the wren, robin and blue tit are very short-lived, and die off in huge numbers each winter anyway - so in three or four years time numbers should have returned to normal.

In fact what has been abnormal is the unprecedented run of very mild winters we have experienced over the past 20 years or so. From 1986 to 2008 Britain (and especially the south) experienced an unprecedented run of very mild winters, which has led to changes in our wildlife patterns:

• Early emergence of flowers and insects (see Springwatch surveys.)
• Early breeding of many birds (sometimes before Christmas).
• 'Summer visitors' overwintering (eg chiffchaff)
• A major fall in numbers of winter visitors (eg Bewick's swan and white-fronted goose), as birds stay further east of the UK.

Cold winters are also valuable for what some people see as restoring the balance of nature. For example:

• Hibernating creatures (bats, butterflies, bumblebees etc) are less likely to emerge and then get killed off by a cold snap, as has happened in the past few mild winters
• Birds are unlikely to start nesting too early (again, as happens in mild winters)
• Flowers are less likely to emerge and then get killed off by late frosts
• Viruses, parasites etc are killed off, which will benefit their hosts. (Again, mild winters tend to allow disease vectors to multiply)

Please tell us about your experiences of our wildlife in the Big Freeze

Stephen Moss is a series producer at the BBC Natural History Unit, with a special interest in British wildlife. He is author of the book Birds and Weather (Hamlyn, 1995).

That winter the freezing conditions lasted the whole of January, and were followed by a thaw, then another freeze-up in February. Three years later, 1982 saw even colder weather, with a new record low of minus 27 degrees at Braemar in Scotland.

But as I recall, much of the western part of Britain was ice-free during these winters, allowing birds to find sanctuary there - unlike the current conditions, where even Wales, the south-west and Ireland are snowbound. So the big question facing the forecasters - and Britain's wildlife - is: how long will this freeze last?

If it thaws in a week or so, and February is mild, then the current winter will rank with 1979, and the long-term effect on our wildlife will not be very severe. If, however, the blocking high continues to bring freezing weather from the east, and even more snow and ice, then we may see the kind of carnage our grandparents witnessed in the winters of 1940, 1947 and of course 1963.

What happened to Britain's wildlife in the 20th century's harshest winters?

1963 really was the Big One - the freezing weather lasted from Boxing Day until the first week of March, and snow fell somewhere in Britain every day for two months. The effect on our birdlife was devastating: as ornithologist James Fisher (the David Attenborough of his day) observed at the end of the winter: "it seems likely that at least half the wild birds living in the country before last Christmas are now dead".

Many birds simply fled the country, while millions of birds from the east took their place. But even so, large parts of eastern Britain were virtually bird-free for several weeks. All sorts of unusual visitors were found in gardens - including water rail, woodcock and grey partridge!

But for many birds, the only option was death: Britain's kingfisher population fell by 85-90%, as did that of the wren, goldcrest and Dartford warbler - a scarce heathland species that was all but wiped out, with just a dozen pairs remaining.

The winter of 1947 was in many places even worse than 1963 - producing an enormous death toll for ground-feeding birds such as the lapwing, skylark and redwing. That was because the cold spell came late that year, in February, when the birds' fat reserves were at their lowest, and they didn't have the strength to get away from the snow and ice.

If we do get a thaw in February this year, this winter will be most like 1940: short and sharp. Again, sedentary species such as the wren, goldcrest and treecreeper suffered badly. In Worcestershire, a flock of seven woodpigeons were found stuck to tree-boughs by ice. And in Dumfries, a flock of starlings took cover under a parked car during a snowstorm. Unfortunately the snow became so deep the car could not be moved, and the birds perished.

When we recall these earlier hard winters it's worth remembering an important difference: very few people fed garden birds in those days - especially during the two big freezes during and after the Second World War when food was rationed. Our national habit of feeding birds today will undoubtedly make a huge difference to the fate of some of our favourite species.

Please tell us about your experiences of our wildlife in the Big Freeze

Stephen Moss is a series producer at the BBC Natural History Unit, with a special interest in British wildlife. He is author of the book Birds and Weather (Hamlyn, 1995).

That's about 4g for the blue tit and 7g for the robin - which may not sound like much, but is an awful lot of seeds to find for such small birds. That's why feeding your garden birds is so crucial in these freezing conditions - it really will make the difference between life and death for many of them.

Our wildlife has all sorts of strategies to avoid the problems caused by the Big Freeze:

Hibernation: hedgehogs, dormice, bats and many insects have simply gone to sleep, and won't wake up until the spring. In some ways the freeze is good for them - it avoids them emerging too early, as happens on mild winter days in 'normal' winters.

Strength in numbers: birds form larger flocks than usual - it helps them seek out the best places to feed, and also enables to them to huddle together at night to keep warm; so your nestbox may now be home to up to a dozen wrens!

Seeking a new home: many species will radically alter their habits during cold weather - so look out in your gardens for unexpected visitors, including waterbirds such as moorhen, water rail, and snipe, which struggle more than most to find food.

Moving away: have you noticed that many familiar birds have simply disappeared from your area? Lapwings and redwings are especially sensitive to cold weather, and head south and west at the first sign of snow. High altitude birds move down to sea level; while many waterbirds such as the kingfisher head towards the coast, seeking ice-free water where they can feed. And many of our garden birds have already hopped across the Channel to seek warmer climes.

Moving here: these birds are replaced by birds from farther north and east, such as ducks, geese and swans from mainland Europe; these also head south and west, and end up here in the UK, especially on our south-coast estuaries.

And last, but not least, staying put: predators and scavengers, such as raptors, owls and crows, will simply stay where they are and wait for other creatures to weaken or die - easy pickings for them...

In summary, here are this winters likely losers and winners...

LOSERS
Garden birds, especially ground feeders such as the dunnock and thrushes, whose normal food supply is covered with snow.
Small birds which don't normally visit bird tables, such as the stonechat and treecreeper.
Waterbirds, especially smaller, sedentary ones such as the moorhen and kingfisher.
Small mammals: like small birds, voles, shrews and mice lose heat very easily, and need to feed constantly.

WINNERS
Scavengers, such as gulls, crows and buzzards; and of course foxes - there's plenty of dead stuff out there for them to eat (though if it gets covered by snow or frozen this can still cause them problems).
Predators: birds such as the peregrine can easily pick off weakened prey; while foxes take advantage of frozen lakes and ponds to grab roosting ducks.
Birdwatchers! Especially if you live in the south and west, where there may be plenty of new arrivals to look out for - so keep your eyes peeled...

Please tell us about your experiences of our wildlife in the Big Freeze

Stephen Moss is a series producer at the BBC Natural History Unit, with a special interest in British wildlife. He is author of the book Birds and Weather (Hamlyn, 1995).

So what can you do if you're already missing Bill, Kate, Simon, Gordon and the crew? Well for a start you can explore the Autumnwatch website and all it has to offer. It would take me too long to list everything, so do go and explore yourself. To help you, here are some links to my favourite places...

• Kate's goodbye, a lovely interview in which Kate gives her thoughts on the past couple of weeks...
• Flickr gallery, a wonderful way of grouping your photos together by theme, such as fungi...
• Our video uploader, which is now up and running, and where you can send us your home movies of wildlife where you live.
• Our special sections (which are constantly being updated) on where to watch wildlife, how to help wildlife in your garden, and on issues such as sea life and the Marine Bill - which many of you have already helped promote via the Marine Conservation Society's campaign.
• Our friends at Breathing Places have all sorts of things to inspire and excite you - check out their website for everything from Do One Thing for nature to how your children's school can become a Breathing Places School.
• And of course, there's the Messageboard. We'll be leaving this up in 'read only' form so you can look back on what has been an amazing and eventful few weeks.
• Finally, do keep on leaving your comments on this and previous blogs... we'll keep reading them, and update them so you know what's going on between now and Springwatch!

Then there's the natural world itself. Just because it's autumn, and winter is just around the corner, it certainly doesn't mean that British wildlife is shutting down! Actually late autumn and winter can be one of the most exciting times of year, not least because the weather is so unpredictable, as we've seen during this year's Autumnwatch.

So don't just enjoy our wildlife via the TV or web, get out there and experience it for yourself! Check out the Breathing Places Events Finder - simply put in your postcode and it will tell you about all the events happening in your neighbourhood.

Finally, don't forget to have fun - the natural world is a wonderful thing, and it's all out there for us to enjoy. So go on - look out of the window, walk out of your front door, and see what you can find...

SPRINGWATCH and AUTUMNWATCH - not just TV series... more a way of life!

For me, and for the whole of our production team, this is a bit of a strange day. We still have a programme to get out, so there is an air of quiet professionalism, as always. But we are also very aware that the incredible experience - a unique period in our lives - is coming to an end very soon. Although we'll all be sad to leave, we'll do so feeling very satisfied with what we've managed to achieve over the past couple of weeks, and more importantly humbled by your fantastic response to the wildlife action, stories and characters we've been showing you.

Having been at the BBC for over a quarter of a century - the whole of my professional life - I can honestly say that there is nothing quite like working on a live show like Autumnwatch. Partly it's down to the wonderful unpredictabliity of the wildlife; partly to the incredible professionalism of my colleagues; and partly because this show really is like no other.

And to be honest, that comes down to you. Our viewers, those of you who come onto the website and comment on the blog, enter debates on the Messageboard, or upload your autumn photos onto our Flickr group, really do help make Autumnwatch what it is.

When I started working with Bill, a dozen years or more ago, life was much simpler. We made the programmes, put them out, you watched them - and that was more or less it! Don 't get me wrong - I am very proud of those early series - but what's wonderful is that today we reach so many more people in such different ways.

None of us could possibly have forseen how things would develop: that the BBC would resurrect live nature programmes, and bring life-and-death stories into your living room, as they happen. We didn't know about the web, let alone that it would allow you to engage with us in the way you do. And even in our wildest dreams, we could never have imagined that British wildlife would become one of the hottest topics of discussion - not just amongst its traditional fans, but for the British public as a whole. But then again, as someone once said, watching wildlife isn't an escape from reality, but an escape to reality...

So what treats are in tonight's final show? Well, Kate and Bill will be saying their goodbyes to Brownsea - for the time being at least - with a round-up of our squirrel assault course, plus news of our sika deer and the birds on the lagoon. Gordon will also be looking back at the amazing story of the Farne Islands seals, and looking forward (along with his dedicated team) to finally getting back to dry land a a hot bath! And Simon goes for the big one - the most ambitious event ever attempted on Springwatch or Autumnwatch, a live dive in search of conger eels in Studland Bay.

Before we go on air for the last time, I'd just like to thank some very special people who made this all possible. I won't go on as much as the Oscar winners do, but I just have to say a huge thanks to all our conservation partners, especially the National Trust and Dorset Wildlife Trust, and all their amazingly dedicated staff and volunteers. Thanks too to all the many people who have helped Simon and Gordon in their quests to bring you the best of British wildlife. Thanks to our production team, who have worked harder than you can imagine to make all this possible. Thanks, of course, to our four fabulous presenters, Bill, Kate, Simon and Gordon, for communicating their knowledge and enthusiasm so brilliantly. And finally a huge thanks to YOU, our audience, for staying with us!

So hope you enjoy tonight's final show - and look out for our special round-up programme during the Xmas break. In the mean time, check out some fab new offerings on our website, including: Kate's end of series goodbye, See you on Springwatch next year!

Best wishes from Stephen, Tim, Reema and the whole of the Autumnwatch team.

STOP PRESS!!! Do check out the wonderful blog on living on foraged food for the day, by our friend from the National Trust (and fellow blogger) Martha Roberts...

Autumnwatch contributor (and good friend of mine) Dominic Couzens arrived to see the show today - and while waiting to catch the ferry from Sandbanks spotted a new arrival in the harbour. Not a cormorant, or a shag, but a great northern diver - which has migrated here from its breeding grounds in Iceland.

By the time wildlife producer Nigel and cameraman Pete had been mobilised, there was good and bad news. The good news - we'd spotted the bird. The bad news - it was all the way over by Studland beach, on the very far side of the harbour. So at dawn tomorrow Pete will be out again to see if he can get a closer shot for tomorrow's final programme.

In the meantime we have another visitor - Simon (and his whole crew, led by producer Martin) have made the long trek down from Anglesey to Studland Bay. Having arrived, they realised that the murky waters mean that there is no way they can do a live dive tonight.

So instead, they've moored up five minutes walk away from my office, on the pier at Brownsea. And tonight, Simon will attempt a live dive in the waters just offshore. Fingers crossed he'll find some pretty amazing stuff.

Gordon is still watching the seals - and brings us the continued family saga of Nemo and his mum - will the little pup survive? And Bill and Kate continue to bring us the sights and sounds of Brownsea - including a very lost water rail, a bird that squeals like a pig from the reeds!

As always, keep sending us your comments - either on this blog or via the Messageboard - and of course we love seeing your great pictures on Flickr and video footage on our uploader.

Lots of events on the menu tonight as well - stuff you can do after we go off air tomorrow night, and for the rest of the autumn season to come. Check out the Breathing Places event finder - all you need is your postcode!

All the best - Stephen

Thank you all for your muntjac sightings it's been a real pleasure to see them all come in from across the country. These tenacious deer seem to have popped up in a number of surprising places from Cornwall to Legoland!

Keep the sightings coming and due to the large response were going to give the information that we've gathered with your help to The Mammal Society so they can use it to further our understanding of the muntjac, our smallest deer.

All the best

Simon

It's sometimes said that in Britain you can experience four seasons in a day - and here we've certainly had what feels like four seasons in a week! After the bitter winds and chilly nights of last week, today has been mild and occasionally bright - almost spring-like at times. The red squirrels are bounding across the forest floor, the lagoon is packed with feeding birds, and little flocks of goldcrests and long-tailed tits are twittering in the trees all over Brownsea Island.

So what's been going on here at the Autumnwatch production office? Well, today we suddenly realised that we had a golden opportunity to rehabilitate some of our least popular birds - the various members of the crow family. Simon has already begun to reveal the secrets of the Welsh ravens on Anglesey, with some truly fascinating stuff in Monday night's show, and more to come on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Bill has taken a trip to the mainland, where the local crows have learned to drop shellfish on the hard surface of the Poole Quay car park, in order to break open the shells and feast on the contents. We realised this was a golden opportunity to show some fabulous archive footage of 'clever crows' (see my earlier blog if you have clever crows in your neighbourhood!)

Only one problem - all the material Simon and his team need is in Bristol, while we're in Dorset and Simon is in Birmingham. Enter our heroine Alex, former producer on Springwatch, who managed to get the stuff together at double-quick speed, and (by some miracle of technology I don't quite understand) sent it up to Simon's team... All to appear on Tuesday night's show...

What else have we got? More squirrel assault course of course (one failure, one success, so a one-all draw between Jo and the squirrels). The first of three great sea eagle films, following the fortunes of a new pair of chicks from our dependable eagle couple, Skye and Frisa, and starring our old friend RSPB warden David Sexton, the eagle man of Mull. And Bill is doing a review of what may turn out to be the best year ever for American vagrant birds blown across the Atlantic to Britain.

This week we are going large on the Marine Bill. As many of you will know, the marine environment has been woefully neglected until quite recently, despite the very best efforts of conservation organisations to raise its profile. It seems it really is a case of 'out of sight, out of mind'. But as Kate's seahorse encounter showed on Monday night, the waters around our coasts are packed with extraordinary creatures, and habitats that really do need our protection.

On Tuesday's show Kate revisits a wreck, the Scylla, off the Devon coast - and finds a wonderland of marine life just four years after the boat was sunk. And now you have the chance to help save your favourite offshore location - check out our link to the Marine Conservation Society website where you can have your say...

Gordon has a really dramatic story building on the Farnes - as National Trust warden David Steele reveals on his blog, the bulls are back!

And of course you can continue to submit your photos via our Flickr site, and (we hope - fingers crossed) upload your videos as well.

Must rush - lots to do!

Stephen

Here on Autumnwatch we'd also like to know if you have seen any really unusual behaviour at your feeding station - and even better, if you;ve managed to video it or take any still photos. As always, you can upload these onto our Video Uploader and Flickr sites - or just tell me what you've seen...

Look forward to hearing from you - Stephen

Yet these are also the birds we love to hate - especially carrion crows, ravens and magpies. For centuries these species have been associated with evildoing - as the companions of witches - or simply derided as thieves. Yet their mischievous behaviour is the sign of very high intelligence.

So as Simon says on Monday night's show, we're now asking YOU to look out for clever crows in your neighbourhood. Whether it's magpies or jays, rooks or ravens, carrion crows or jackdaws - or in Scotland and Ireland, hooded crows - we'd love to hear from you. Post your replies on this blog, or send us your videos or photos elsewhere on this website. We'll tell the best stories, and show any great footage or stills, on the programme later this week!

Thanks again for your great response so far!

Stephen

So we're now halfway through our run - Autumnwatch always does seem more like a sprint than the marathon that is Springwatch! Four down, and four to go - and judging from the stuff you've been posting on the Messageboard you seem to be enjoying the shows so far! I know the squirrels have been the stars of the show, but the wonderful thing about autumn is that there is so much to see, as Simon and Gordon have proved. So thanks for tuning in - all three million plus of you!

I think what has really astonished us is the response to two new offers we've had this year. The Video Uploader has proved very popular, with many of you posting your footage of autumn wildlife there. But the really amazing thing has been the Flickr site, where you can upload your photos. This is now officially the fastest-growing site of its kind anywhere in the world!

Looking forward to the week to come, we have some amazing stuff from Gordon on the Farnes - a result of the change in the wind direction over the weekend. Simon is at Britain's biggest raven roost, on the Welsh island of Anglesey. And Bill and Kate are off to the mainland to check out some fascinating goings-on in and around Poole Harbour.

So do tune in - 8pm Monday to Thursday all this week...

All the best - Stephen

The studio has been dressed with pumpkins and props, which have been generously donated from the edit van (pictured right) our webteam have made home.

Bill has made a lovely film about the natural explanation for ghost stories and we've our very own 'shower scene' complete with screaming woman (Nikki from the production team doing a fine impression of Janet Leigh).

Content wise, things just keep on coming - tonight we have a leap into the unknown by the red squirrels, Bill's tale of the little egrets (and the new kids on the block, cattle egrets), and Kate's early morning quest to get up close and personal with the sika deer.

Talking of deer, check out my last blog if you have muntjac in your neighbourhood. Tonight Simon is on the track of otters in the suburbs of Birmingham, while Gordon is battening down the hatches for some storm-force northerlies.

Make sure to check out a great blog from the National Trust's Farne Islands' warden David Steel. It'll be updated all weekend while we're off the air, so that's the place to go for the latest info from Gordon's team.

A huge thank you to all of you who are uploading your videos and photos of autumnal events and wildlife - we are currently number three (out of about 11000) Flickr groups - thanks to YOU!

So enjoy tonight's programme, get out and do one thing for autumn this weekend, see you on Monday and Happy Halloween.

Stephen

Simon gave us some really useful tips on how to know if you have Muntjac in your neighbourhood - the staccato, dog-like bark, the tiny footprints, and if you are lucky enough to catch sight of one, its tiny size - less than half that of a Roe Deer. So do let us know via this blog if you have Muntjac where you live.

Just in: here's the muntjac sightings map that Simon showed on the show.

Tonight Simon will be back in Birmingham in search of another elusive mammal - the urban Otter. Simon knows more about tracking Otters than almost anyone, so hopefully he will at least be able to prove their presence, and maybe even find one during the live show.

Kate goes out to watch the Sika Deer on Brownsea, while Bill looks at one of the island's newer residents - the beautiful little egret. And of course Gordon and his team are still on the Farnes braving the elements along with those feisty little seal pups.

A|nd don;t forget there are lots of events you can do this weekend - as well as a wealth of autum,n wildlife to go and see - check out Breathing Places for details of things to do near where you live.

Oh - and as you saw on Wednesday night, Bill and Kate are being well fed!