Whilst taking a stroll around the woods, look up to the trees and you might be able to see flocks of long-tailed tits who might join up with other flocks of birds at this time of year such as great tits, blue tits and coal tits. You might often see the odd nuthatch, with their distinctive bandit-like mask across their eyes and scaling head first down the tree trunks, joining these flocks too as they search for food in the woodland. If you're visiting our Lea Wood reserve, you might be lucky enough to see a great-spotted woodpecker up in the trees.

Although many of the trees have lost their leaves, now is a great time to have a go at winter tree identification! You can begin to tell the difference between the different bark textures and without their leaves you can find it easier to study the buds. One species that still has its leaves is the Holly tree, which is a familiar evergreen tree with its glossy spiky leaves. Its juicy red berries are a favourite for Christmas decorations, but most importantly they are a perfect food source for wildlife during the cold months.

This winter keep an eye out for jelly ear fungus which, just like its name suggests, resembles an ear-like rubbery flesh growing on decaying tree branches. Another fungi to spot this season is the birch polypore, which is a type of bracket fungus that only grows on birch trees. It’s got a brownish coffee-stained colour cap, that’s smooth and rounded. You might also start to see the brightly coloured scarlet elf cup fungus, which can be spotted amongst damp spots in woodlands and beneath leaf litter.

There are only a few moth species that are active in their adult stage over winter and they are able to cope with the freezing cold temperatures! If your out and about in the evening, make sure you bring a torch as these moths are attracted to light sources.  Moth species you might be lucky to see are, the November moth, winter moth and December moth.