Iolo Williams has been busy – not only is the Montgomeryshire naturalist preparing for a new series of BBC programme Autumnwatch, which will film near Machynlleth, but he is also celebrating the season of change with a new show on S4C.

The TV presenter has a new series, Natur Gwyllt Iolo (Iolo's Wild Autumn), which starts on October 20, in which he will look at why the most colourful season of the year is also a busy time for nature.

He will exploring different habitats in some of his favourite places in Wales to see the variety of animals that can be found.

Each programme will focus on a specific habitat – uplands, forests, rivers, wetlands as well as unexpected places such as urban parks and back gardens.

The first episode, Iolo takes a look at the coast, as he visits South Stack near Holyhead, Cemlyn Bay; Lafan beach near Bangor; the Great Orme, near Llandudno; The River Nevern near Newport, the River Llwchwr near Llanelli and many more.

“Autumn is an extremely beautiful season, but people forget that there is so much wildlife around too,” says Iolo, who lives in Llandyssil between Newtown and Welshpool.

“We like spring and summer; we know the birds are singing and so on, and even though the birds have quietened, that doesn't mean there aren't any around. It’s surprising how much of nature is at its busiest in October – deer mating, seals giving birth to their young and so on.”

One of Iolo’s highlights while filming the series was a visit to Margam Park in South Wales.

"One thing I don't often see is deer fighting, because we don't have as many deer in Wales as they have in Scotland or parts of England," said Iolo.

“And being out, hearing the roaring noise and the horns collide is thrilling. That's what we saw in Margam Park, Port Talbot, proving that you don't have to go to into the wild to see something special – our gardens and parks are equally as important.”

And in this time of uncertainty, where appreciating what we have on our doorstep is more important than ever, there’s no better time for a series like this, according to Iolo.

He added: "Nature has been so important to people over the past seven months, with lockdown and social distancing.

"It has helped those who live alone, people who have been fed up of being locked in, and especially people with mental health issues. So many more people have noticed butterflies, birds singing, hedgehogs coming to their gardens at night, and that's one positive thing to come out of such a difficult time.

"It was very important that we in this series went to a very wide range of locations across Wales, so that viewers can think ‘I’ll head out to see that’."