DUNNOCK
The birds have gone quiet, this is not because lockdown is easing and we’re scaring them all away! After all the raucous calls and songs...
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GARDEN SNAIL
During the short spell of dry weather today, my walk was interrupted with a crunch underfoot. Looking down the path ahead of me, I...
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MARMALADE FLY
Sadly the marmalade fly didn’t get its name for being the equivalent of Paddington Bear! It is because of its lovely marmalade colour. It...
1
ZEBRA SPIDER
This cute little jumping spider was on our patio, but we have seen them inside the house on the bathroom windowsill. We don’t need to...
2
COMMON BUZZARD
Whilst not as ubiquitous as the Kite, these birds of prey are much more common in the skies above Otley than they used to be. They are...
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FOX
Whilst out walking along Birdcage Walk at dusk, I spotted a fox eating some supplementary food left out for horses (the second picture)....
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SPECKLED WOOD BUTTERFLY
One of these settled on our gate in the sun. They feed mostly on honeydew in the tree tops, and rarely on flowers. Honeydew is a...
2
JAY
A beautiful bird with an ugly screech of a call, I seem to see more of them around these days, particularly in the woods on the Chevin....
4
COMMON BLUE DAMSELFLY
There are loads of these on the riverbank path between Gallows Hill and Knotford Nook, but they can turn up in your Otley garden, even if...
1
DIPPER
Another of my favourite birds (how many are you allowed?!). When they’re not bobbing up and down in the manner that gave them their name,...
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MEADOW BROWN BUTTERFLY
We saw dozens of these this morning on our walk east of Otley along the old railway track. In the fields beyond, they flew up from the...
1
HIMALAYAN BALSAM
A different tone for today’s post: this invasive species is a significant problem around Otley. On the face of it, there’s a lot to like...
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RED KITE
Regular exposure to these magnificent birds hasn’t dimmed the awe they inspire in me. I once dragged my family over a hundred miles to...
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BLOODY-NOSED BEETLE
This remarkable name derives from their defensive mechanism: they squirt foul-tasting red drops from their mouths when threatened. This...
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WESTERN HEMLOCK
A native of North America’s west coast, the one I saw was in the Holbeck Wood on the Chevin. What drew me to this tall conifer was the...
2
LIME HAWK MOTH
This moth only flies on warm nights between May and July, but can be found resting on walls, tree trunks and lime tree foliage. The adult...
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GREENFINCH
Not as frequent a visitor to the gardens of Otley as it used to be, due to the effect of a deadly parasite that jumped from pigeons in...
4
ELDER
We’re making “elderflower champagne” soon, and later in the year people will use the elderberries to make wine. Historically there have...
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DRONEFLY
The Drone Fly is very common around Otley, this time of year. It is an accomplished honeybee mimic, with brown and orange markings, but...
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WREN
This very small bird makes a very big noise – a scolding torrent of up to 740 notes a minute. An ancient fable crowned it the king of...
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