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Whilst out for my stroll, I spotted this little guy perched on the post of the gate to Gallows Hill. The little juvenile doesn’t look much like his parents yet, he is totally missing his bright orange-red chest. He has left the safety of his nest made of grass, moss and leaves, comfortably lined with wool and hair. Their brown mottled feathers signal to adults that they are not a threat to their territories, this means they aren’t attacked. At 2-3 months old, in time for Chri

Little alien antenna are popping up under the hedgerows along the river and in Gallows Hill. These short stalks of bright red berries are unusual indeed, the plant also known as Cuckoo Pint, Adam and Eve, Wild Arum, as well as many other names flowers early in the Spring. Above the male flower is a ring of hairs that act as an insect trap, the flower emits a faecal odour and maintains a temperature of 15°C warmer than the surrounding environment which proves irresistible to i

The lepidopterists will probably wince at my use of this colloquial name, which is used for both the Large White and the Small White butterfly (and I think I probably used it in the past for the odd Green-veined White, too). To be fair, distinguishing them can be tricky – a Large may be smaller than a Small! The Butterfly Conservation link below has some tips. Anyway, yesterday there were numerous examples flying in and above my garden, oblivious to the drone which was also h

If you’re on the Chevin over the weekend, watch out for these colourful butterflies – ten were seen together yesterday, feeding on thistle nectar between Yorkgate and Surprise View. You may of course see them in your garden, their numbers are holding up well, with the population increasing in many areas due to warmer temperatures. Whereas some of our butterflies migrate – for example the Painted Lady migrates all the way from North Africa – Peacocks are resident, hibernating

I love this stroppy little beetle, and not just for its cracking name. If you disturb it under a rock or log, it will raise up its abdomen, scorpion-style. It will also open its jaws and sometimes squirt a foul-smelling liquid out of its abdomen. It’s said that it can deliver a painful bite, but on the countless occasions I’ve picked them up to show people this has never happened to me. At night they are voracious predators, eating insects, spiders and slugs. They have wings,

To me it seems a shame that we anthropomorphize these birds and regard them as villains or bullies. Yes, they do eat the eggs and young of smaller birds, but so do other birds (owls, woodpeckers), and this is just part of the natural balance. Cats kill a lot of birds too (one recent survey suggests a million a week in the UK), but the RSPB believe that neither have a significant effect on bird populations. Most young birds die naturally before adulthood – that’s why they have

Although we must focus on the loss of species (we are one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world), I thought it worthwhile to mention today a few examples of the adaptability of trees round my end of Otley. Starting with the Ash at the Pool Road entrance to the “Conker Park”. It has grown round the wall, seeming to absorb it, and continues unabashed. Then there are the Sycamore saplings very quickly colonising the terrace in front of the old Summercross pub. The S

These are pretty easy to spot by the Wharfe, where they feed on invertebrates with great agility, hopping from stone to stone above the rushing water. I saw a parent with a young bird near the weir, but they might even turn up at your garden pond (construction of which is the single best thing you can do in your garden for wildlife). They nest on rock ledges, or sometimes in holes in man-made structures, such as bridges. Grey Wagtails can be confused with Yellow Wagtails, as

I’m not expecting quite so many Likes for this post, but bear with me. My Dad used to gently rib me that all the Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth campaigns I was involved with were to save the cute end of the animal spectrum – what about the slimy and hairy ones? I used to answer that they generally weren’t in existential trouble. That has changed now, of course, with insect numbers plummeting, for example, and I have spent some of lockdown trying to get to know the invert

Not a common sight close to Otley, one of our committee members spotted one yesterday. They are largely nocturnal and shy, but sightings increase in spring, when they chase each other around in daylight. Most people are familiar with the saying “mad as a March hare”, but are less likely to know that their boxing matches involve a female batting away a male. They do this either to show that they’re not ready to mate, or to test the male’s determination. Unlike the burrowing ra

The Roe is one of our truly native deer, the other being the Red deer. Records of them date to before the Mesolithic period (6000 to 10000 years BC). We are fortunate to have a breeding population living on Otley Chevin and now is as good a time as any to try and spot one, as their rut (or breeding season) is in full swing. Bucks have become aggressive and maintain exclusive territories around one or more does. Fights between bucks can result in serious injury or even death w