Whilst winter can seem like a quiet time in the natural world, ecologist Professor Anne Goodenough insists that there are loads of amazing wildlife opportunities to look out for. In her talk for the University of Gloucestershire’s ‘living room lecture series’, she offered some tips on getting outside and appreciating the winter wildlife in Gloucestershire.
Professor Goodenough is keen to challenge the bad press around the wintertime and nature: “It can feel a bit restrictive in what you can see in terms of wildlife, but actually winter is a really amazing time to get out into the natural world”.
She encouraged the listeners of her live stream to pay closer attention to trees in the winter: ‘We really get to see the structure of trees and in a lot of cases surprising colour… particularly in species such as willow where new growth can be a lovely red or yellow colour’.
Whilst autumn is traditionally seen as the best time to see fungi, winter can good for spotting it as well. “We’ve had lots of honey fungus around this year … [these are] mustard yellow to mid-brown small mushrooms which are often grouped around the base of trees”.
Another type of fungus that is around at this time of year is fly agaric, she said: “If you imagine the archetypal toadstool you have seen in cartoons as a child, a red colour with yellow flecks on it – that’s fly agaric”. These fungi are associated with Christmas throughout central and Eastern Europe.
Winter can be a challenging time for looking at insects but there are always some around when you look hard enough. According to Professor Anne, there are some moth species that will be around throughout this season: the aptly named ‘winter moth’, the ‘satellite moth’, and the striking ‘December moth’. Some species of butterflies can also be seen, such as red admiral and small tortoiseshell.
In terms of mammals, winter is the optimum time to see deer because of the greater visibility in woodlands. Even though walks at the moment can be quite muddy, Professor Anne said that a positive of this is that you can “see footprints in the mud and become a little bit of a mammal detective”. The Wildlife Trust have a page on their website which can help you identify a mammal by its tracks.
There are also a lot of visiting migrant birds, Professor Anne said that there is a good chance to see thrushes this year as they are “in really good numbers”. It is quite likely to catch sight of redwings and fieldfares – particularly in hedgerows. Combe Hill nature reserve in Gloucestershire is a great place to go to find these kinds of species. As well as these birds, robins and starlings are among others to look out for as their numbers also increase this season.
“If 2020 has taught us anything its that we really need to get out and engage with nature”, Professor Anne told her listeners. This winter is an excellent opportunity for it.
You can listen to Professor Anne Goodenough’s talk for yourself here.
