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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

A fungal disease of woody plants causing branches to die back. Small coral-pink raised spots (pustules) form after the branch dies, that’s when you can find them on the dead branch laying on the woodland floor. The presence of coral spot often indicates that the plant has been weakened by other factors, such as poor growing conditions, environmental stress, or other pathogen infections. Spores from the pink pustules on the bark are dispersed in rain splash and wind-blown rain

Local nature group, Wildlife Friendly Otley, is calling for more help to boost its ‘Wildlife Corridor Project’ which restores areas in...

One of the most commonly encountered slime molds in the UK. This one was spotted on the Chevin, it is found on decaying wood. It appears from June through November as a pink to bright red, pillow-shaped, tightly-packed mass on well-rotted logs, sometimes on moss. The surface is knobby, like a raspberry. It is not edible, not that most of us feel tempted by anything called mold. By River Six Photo by River

Pictures of the male suggest the painter gave up “colouring-in” after the front third: the head and chest have an unusual brown/yellow/pink combination, with the rest of the body greys, whites and blacks. As usual, the female is harder to ID with her Mallard-like camouflaged plumage, and the male is similar outside the breeding season. Wigeon are dabbling or surface-feeding ducks, and can be spotted in winter at Knotford Nook and (especially) Lindley Wood reservoir, where the

Also commonly known as the Dirty Tricholoma . Can be found throughout Europe, where fruiting bodies appear under conifers, particularly pine and spruce, from late summer to late autumn. It is generally regarded as edible but also splits opinion with some research linking it to kidney failure, which would mean it is deadly poisonous! So I would not forage this one. By River Six Photo by River