Snowdrops

Drifts of snowdrops poking up through the woodland floor and along riverbanks are a welcome sight during these cold, winter months. Their reinforced leaf tips can even push through frozen ground, and they generally flower between January and March as a sure sign that spring will return again!

Despite the snowdrop’s long history in the UK, however, it may not actually be native here; it is a native of damp woods and meadows on the continent, but was not recorded as growing wild in the UK until the late 18th century. Nevertheless, it has certainly become naturalised from garden escapees, and white snowdrop 'valleys' can now be seen across the country. Look out for them at woodland reserves like Warburg Nature Reserve near Henley.

Winter moth

The broad, pale-brown winter moth is one of the few species that can be seen on the wing in winter. They fly at night and are attracted to lights, though you can also find them resting on tree trunks. These are the moths you're likely to see fluttering in car headlights in winter.

Female winter moths have stubby wings and cannot fly. They clamber up a tree trunk and give off pheromones to attract flying males. Their eggs are laid on the bark and don’t hatch until spring, when the tiny green caterpillars emerge. You might see them hanging down from trees on long threads of silk.

Breedings foxes

Despite the cold, January is the peak of red fox breeding season: this is a great time to look for foxes as they’re often out in the daytime in pairs, the dog following the vixen and waiting for her to become receptive. All this activity means this is also the peak time of year for dog fights as territorial rights are settled.

Water rail

Water rails are heard more frequently than seen as they skulk around in reedbeds and other wetland habitats looking for snails, insects and small fish to eat. Listen out for a ‘squealing pig’ in reeds and you're sure to be close to a water rail. Try wetland nature reserves like our Thatcham Reedbeds site near Newbury and Weston Turville Reservoir in Buckinghamshire.

Cetti's warbler

Another bird that skulks around in scrub close to water is the Cetti’s warbler. It can be tricky to see but loud bursts of song give away its location. Once you’ve heard a burst of insistent song, look for a small-medium sized dark, stocky bird with an upright tail flitting around dense bushes. Wetland reserves like our Hosehill Lake site near Reading are good places to look for these little birds.

Velvet shank

With its glossy, golden-orange caps, the velvet shank is quite commonly seen growing in clusters on stumps of decaying hard wood. It is also known as the 'Winter Mushroom' as it is one of the few mushrooms that can be seen throughout the winter months, right into early spring. The Latin name, Flammulina, refers to the bright orange, flame-like colour of the cap.

The velvet shank relies on dead wood, but the importance of this habitat for wildlife is often overlooked: to keep a place 'neat', mature and ageing trees may be removed and fallen dead wood cleared away. By keeping dead wood in your garden, you can encourage all kinds of fungi to grow, in turn, attracting the wildlife that depends upon it.

Learn how to make a log shelter

King Alfred's cakes

Another fungus to spot in winter, the King Alfred's cake gets its name from the legend that King Alfred forgot to watch the cakes in the oven when hiding in a peasant's house. The cakes burnt and he scattered them through the woods to hide his mistake! Look out for the bulbous black fruiting bodies in broadleaf woodland, often on dead beech, ash and silver birch.

Brown rat

The brown rat has a bad reputation, but it mostly lives side-by-side with us without any problems. It is an incredibly adaptable mammal and can be found almost everywhere in the UK, in any habitat – all it needs is shelter and food.

Brown rats are omnivorous, eating pretty much anything, from fruit and seeds to human food waste, insects, birds' eggs or even small mammals. However, this broad palate can make them vulnerable to poisoning by eating something harmful – whether through chance encounter or intentional baiting – and as a result they have developed a fear of the new and unusual. They will typically approach new foods with caution, sampling small amounts for a time before deeming it safe to consume. 

Crossbills

The common crossbill is a large finch of conifer woodlands, so-named for its cross-tipped bill which it uses to prise out and eat the seeds from pine cones. It is resident all year round, but some years 'irruptions' occur when it becomes widespread and numerous as it is joined by continental birds looking for food and which may stay to breed.

Bernwood Forest, a few miles east of Oxford, includes coniferous woodland and you can go on a great circular walk from our Bernwood Meadows reserve next door.

Little egrets

The long neck plumes of little egrets were once more valuable than gold and were smuggled into Europe during the 19th century. As a result, little egret populations plummeted until laws were put in place to protect them.

Once a very rare visitor from the Mediterranean, little egrets are now a common sight around our counties as they expand their range, possibly due to increasing temperatures caused by climate change. Britain and Ireland are now home to the most northerly breeding populations in the world.

Look out for them prowling the shallows at Letcombe Valley, or fishing on the island at Hosehill Lake.

How to help nature and climate in January