Wild Bird
Caring for Winter Wildlife
As the golden leaves of Autumn fall, it’s time to start thinking about our wonderful winter wildlife. For many of us, our gardens have become a haven over the past few months. But as we close our doors to the cold, we forget about our little wildlife friends.
The winter months are the toughest months as the temperatures drop. Weather changes introduce frost which freezes water sources. Food supplies reduce as the trees lose their fruit, leaves, and berries.
As we are becoming more aware of the beauty and value of nature. More options are becoming available to help small creatures in the colder months.
Wildlife World designs its own wildlife habitats with videos to show how the animals use them. These are great if it is your first time and you aren’t quite sure what suits each individual animal.
There are so many living creatures in your garden, knowing which ones you want to help is the first step as they all have different needs.
Caring for Winter Wildlife – Happy Hedgehogs
Our little spikey hedgehog friends go into hibernation towards the end of October. They have a fondness for foliage so leaving gardens a little unkempt is okay for these small nocturnal creatures. Being aware of the places they may be taking shelter is really important. Especially coming up to bonfire night in November as you wouldn’t want to scare them or disturb their slumber.
An excellent solution for keeping hedgehogs safe is a hedgehog house. They come in all shapes and sizes and are perfect for those that like to keep a tidy clean garden but want to help. Hedgehogs want to feel safe, when placing your hedgehog house. Consider a more sheltered area that will protect them from harsh weather conditions. Perhaps somewhere near a leaf pile so they have ease of access to food.
Although hedgehogs are shy little creatures. They do like to explore the garden moving from one pile of leaves to another leaving a trail. They can walk up to two kilometres a night.
There are many benefits from creating a safe space for hedgehogs. They eat all those pesky insects and the leftover bits from the bird feeders. If you are lucky enough to have any resident hedgehogs, you might endure the wonderful sight of their offspring in the summer months after hibernation.
With hedgehogs becoming popular amongst nature enthusiasts. This has created a demand for hedgehog food, with local pet stores. Making it readily available to buy online or in-store for those colder months when food sources may be at a low.
Caring for Winter Wildlife – Feathered friends
Like hedgehogs, birds have their own battles throughout the winter months. In October, gardens go quieter and bird feeders remain full. This is known as the ‘October Gap’. A time before fresh food becomes much more difficult to find. Some garden birds migrate south and west during these months whilst resident birds are joined by migrant birds from Russia, Scandinavia, and Europe.
This is a great time to get your garden in order. Good hygiene is extremely important, take advantage of this time to clean your bird feeders and nest boxes. Remember to fill your feeders with food because the birds will be back and may rely on your garden for nourishment.
Birds are spoilt for choice with all the options available to them, Sunflower hearts are enjoyed universally by many species making these a popular choice amongst our flying friends. If you don’t have a garden and don’t want to miss out on the joys of nature then a window feeder is the perfect solution.
Other options include peanut cakes, peanut butter, and fat balls, these are ideal choices; they are economical, convenient to feed, and an excellent source of energy at a time when natural bird food can be hard to find.
Having different types of bird feeders can attract a variety of different birds, small feeders will encourage small birds some examples are; blue tits, robins, and sparrows, these will also reduce the risk of the bigger birds such as magpies and crows from stealing the food.
There are many pests in the garden, however, a pest in your garden may be welcome in another and again that is why finding the right kind of feeder for your visitors is important.
Three excellent examples of bird feeders are:
Tray feeders will attract a wide variety of birds into your garden, as these are open feeders they may also attract other small creatures unless an effective guard is put in place. Tray feeders must be cleaned regularly with recommendations of topping them up with food every two days, this will reduce a build-up of potential sprouting seeds as a result of rain or bird droppings.
Suet feeders, consisting of a wire or plastic coated mesh, have been known to attract a selection of birds such as woodpeckers, nuthatches, and jays. These feeders only open from the bottom meaning birds can only feed if they hang upside down which is perfect for a lot of the smaller birds. This is a safer alternative to using onion bags which have been known to cause damage to birds when feeding.
Tube feeders are hollow tubes that are great for keeping food dry and clean. This type of feeder attracts birds such as sparrows, finches, and chickadees. It is recommended to use these feeders during busy times when more than a handful of birds are using them because this could cause a build-up of food creating bacteria growth.
Caring for Winter Wildlife – Sneaky Squirrels
Squirrels are known for sneaking into well-stocked gardens and stealing bird feed, especially the fat balls. Phil Kent from CJ Wildlife suggests one way to prevent this is with a guardian. These are small metal cages, the fat balls are placed inside allowing only room for small birds.
However, if like me you have a soft spot for these cute characters and want to help with their insatiable appetite then a squirrel feeder could be just what you are looking for. This should stop them from damaging your bird feeders and supply you with some garden entertainment allowing both species to exist.
How to help garden wildlife
Food isn’t the only thing that animals struggle to find throughout the winter. With temperatures falling, open water often freezes over making it difficult to find a fresh water source. There are several ways to make water accessible to wildlife. A simple solution, if you don’t have a pond or birdbath, fill a bin lid or a pot with water. A brilliant tip to stop the water from freezing over. Add a small ball or an object that floats to keep the water moving e.g. a ping-pong ball.
Mark from Wildlife World suggests another way to assist the wildlife in your garden is to plant some trees.
“You can plant a tree like a crab apple or a hawthorn that’s going to give you flowers and then berries. Then later in the season some herbaceous plants, a sedum, a rudbeckia, a euonymous. The wildlife will thank you for it, it provides that bit of protection for them throughout the winter.”
Planting trees and plants will provide the living creatures in your garden with some extra protection that will go a long way during winter. The wildlife will be grateful for any extra support that will take them through to spring.
This will not only help but your garden will be alive with beautiful plants, insects, and other little creatures.
Birds, hedgehogs, insects, and a lot of small animals have wonderful memories, if your garden has been a safe space for them then they will be back. There is something extremely rewarding that comes from helping the more vulnerable during these colder months. To know you have had an impact on the beauty of nature.
Pop in to store or visit our social if you have any questions.
As always if you have any questions regarding ‘Winter Wildlife’. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team. you can pop into the store to get in touch via any of our social channels or websites. And be sure to check out our new podcast. Search ‘petplace’ on Apple or Spotify to listen to the full discussion about ‘Winter Wildlife’.
Whether you are a novice in the garden, putting your green fingers to action or an expert out amongst the wild. Be sure to tag us in images of your winter wonderland, we’d love to see your gardens in action.
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