How Time Change Affects Nature
Each autumn, as the evenings draw in and the leaves turn gold, we ‘gain’ an hour of sleep. But while the clocks going back might mean a cosy morning for us, for animals it can mean something very different.
Why do the clocks go back in autumn?
The UK changes its clocks twice a year — once in March, when we move them forward for British Summer Time (BST), and again in October, when we return to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
The idea began during the First World War to make better use of daylight and save energy. By shifting the clocks, people could work and travel in natural light for more of the day. It’s also thought to reduce traffic accidents and energy use — though not everyone agrees it still makes sense in our modern, well-lit world.
Do animals notice when the clocks change?
The internal rhythms of animals, known as circadian rhythms, are guided by the sun. So, when humans suddenly shift their schedules, it can create confusion in the natural world.
For wildlife, sunrise and sunset are the real markers of time. Birds begin their dawn chorus at first light, foxes hunt under cover of darkness, and bees and bats depend on light levels to navigate. When our clocks move but daylight doesn’t, human routines shift out of sync with nature’s.
Pets and farm animals feel it too
Anyone with a dog or cat knows they can tell when it’s dinner time, often to the minute. When the clocks go back, pets expect food, walks, or play at what their bodies still believe is the “right” time. It can take a week or two for them to adjust.
Farm animals also feel the change. Dairy cows, for instance, are creatures of habit. A sudden shift in milking times can cause stress and even reduce milk yield, so many farmers gradually change the schedule by ten or fifteen minutes a day to ease the transition.
How wild animals respond to darker evenings
Shorter days and longer nights trigger a series of natural changes in the wild. Some animals start to hibernate, others migrate, and many begin to store food.
For example:
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Hedgehogs spend the autumn eating as much as possible before curling up to sleep through winter.
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Squirrels use the fading daylight to hide nuts and acorns.
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Birds that migrate south use the sun’s angle, not our clocks, to decide when to leave.
- Foxes are crepuscular, meaning they’re most active at dawn and dusk. After the time change, rush hour suddenly overlaps with their evening hunting period. This is why more foxes are seen (and sadly injured) on roads in late October and November. In towns, the shift also brings them out while more people are still awake, rummaging through bins or patrolling gardens under cover of darkness.
Despite the disruption, foxes adapt quickly. Their keen hearing and flexible routines help them adjust to new light patterns faster than many species.
Deer, foxes, and badgers are often more active at dawn and dusk, and with commuters driving home an hour earlier in gloomier light, animal collisions increase sharply after the clock change.
How do reindeer and deer cope with time change?
Deer are especially affected by autumn’s shifting light. Their daily movements are guided by dawn and dusk, so when humans adjust their clocks, our rush-hour traffic suddenly overlaps with their peak activity. This is one reason deer collisions rise sharply after the clocks go back. Reindeer, living in the far north, have evolved in extreme light conditions where day and night can last for months. Their eyes even change colour seasonally — from golden in summer to deep blue in winter — to adapt to the dim Arctic twilight. Both deer and reindeer show just how finely tuned animals are to light, not to the artificial rhythms we humans create.
How we can help wildlife adjust
Even small changes in our behaviour can make autumn safer for animals. As dusk falls earlier, drive carefully on rural roads, especially in woodland areas where deer, badgers, and foxes are active. Keep an eye out at dawn too, when low light and mist make wildlife harder to see.
For pets, adjust feeding and walking times gradually over a few days rather than all at once. This helps their body clocks adapt naturally. You can also reduce outdoor lighting in gardens or driveways, giving nocturnal creatures like hedgehogs and bats darker corridors to move through.
By tuning in to nature’s rhythms, we not only help wildlife cope with the darker months, but also rediscover a slower, more natural pace of life ourselves.
Should we still change the clocks?
Many countries have debated ending the twice-yearly time change altogether. The European Union even voted to stop it, though plans have been delayed. Some argue the disruption to sleep, farming, and wildlife outweighs the benefits, especially in an age of LED lighting and flexible working hours.
Still, there’s something almost magical about that extra hour, a reminder of how closely human life is tied to the turning Earth. As the clocks tick back, it’s worth pausing to think about the hidden rhythms that guide the natural world, even when our digital ones don’t.
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