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Grey by name and grey by status: the UK’s biggest goose sometimes seems inappropriately classified as “wildlife”. Common in flocks of mixed geese in the fields around Otley, the Greylag is the ancestor of most domestic geese, domesticated at least as early as 1360BC, and many are comfortable around humans. They are to be found in many a park, and I remember seeing one nesting in the middle of York Hospital car park, but the RSPB say those seen in Scotland “retain the special

The old railway line is a great place to walk this time of year, to discover fungi, lichen and mosses you might never have seen before. Named for its whitish colour and (look really close) its tooth-like pore surface, as it ages it become a dingy yellow colour. Milk-white toothed polypores have a wide distribution across the temperate world, and spreads across the sides and bottoms of fallen wood, and fulfils an important ecological role of breaking down dead wood. It is one

Another find along the old railway, a yellowy grey or pale grey-green lichen with a cracked crust and studded with black spots. This lichen has distinctive black apothicia (the part that contains the spores) forms a mosaic on mature trees, appearing on smooth barked trees and fences, this one was spotted on Common Ash. As organisms without roots, lichens obtain their nutrients from the atmosphere and so are highly susceptible to changes in atmospheric chemistry. Areas with le

Leeds City Council has announced it is ‘pausing’ the East of Otley hybrid planning application to build a new road and hundreds of houses...

Local nature group, Wildlife Friendly Otley and Otley 2030 have launched a campaign to encourage residents to make their gardens more...

Even though Sparrowhawks are our second most common bird of prey (around 40,100 breeding pairs in the UK and increasing) they fly among us largely unseen, because rather than hanging around where we can see them, such as above road verges, they skulk in the shadows of dense cover, in hedgerows and woodlands. With their increasing population and shrinking habitat, they are found more and more in our gardens. Where we often make it easy for them to hunt, with bushy garden shrub

This distinctive moth is a capital T shape at rest, and can be seen all year round in Otley – you may find one inside your house. Their numbers are increasing, and they inhabit a range of habitats, including gardens and woods. Their larvae feed on a range of plants, including mint, sages, lavender and heather. By Neil Griffin Photo by Mike & Joyce Clerk

This bird has a deceptive name – they’re not our most common gull. The ones we see frequently on the Tittybottle Park railings, for example, are nearly always Black Headed Gulls. There is an argument that Common actually referred to their habit of feeding on common land (short pasture used for grazing) in the winter. A less well-used name is Sea Mew, which is Dutch in origin. I like the RSPB’s description of the appearance of the Common Gull: “like a smaller, gentler version

Now our deciduous trees are bare and flowers have gone, ferns become very visible. I love finding the Hart’s tongue fern in unusual places, it is a medium-sized fern that can be found growing out of a damp wall, as well as on mossy branches, shady gorges and banks in woodlands. It is a very hardy plant and is ideal for gardens, perfect to plant in shade under trees, or on walls or gravelly areas for attractive cover all year-round. It gets its common name from the fact that i

There are places outdoors in Otley that don't succumb to the life-numbing cold. Leaves that gather under hedges are still teeming with life. Decomposition and the heat it produces make these special places, insulated and protected from the elements under a crispy duvet. Which means invertebrates still abound there, this explains why the Blackbird continues to toss around the leaves at this time of year. The Common centipede is among the most impressive resident of this musty

The brackets of this species can be from 8 to 22 cm wide and are characterised by having a sharp edge. They are pale brown on the upper surface with circumferential bands. The white to cream porous underside bruises pink when scratched, hence the common name. When old and no longer viable the brackets age to a striking red-brown colour. Found on dead deciduous wood, particularly Alder, Birch, Cherry and Willow. Tough and woody. Can occur singularly or in groups. By River Si

This is one of those birds that is a little easier to spot in the autumn and winter as migrants join the resident population, and harsh weather may drive them into your Otley garden, especially if you’ve put seeds out for them. They are smaller and more acrobatic than our other finches, so you might see them hanging upside down from your feeder. Otherwise look out for them in conifers, birch and alder, where they might also feed on insects. You may well hear them first, and t