Winter Wildlife 🦊❄️

Short days and cold nights make winter a tough time for many animals. Winter is known as a time for hibernation, however, many forms of wildlife can still be seen in our gardens throughout the colder months. With many of our favourite garden species already struggling due to habitat loss, intensive agriculture and numerous other threats, you can alter your outdoor space to help the wildlife thrive in your garden. 

How you can help the wildlife on your doorstep 🦔

Your garden can offer essential food, shelter and habitat to the creatures that roam around your garden, from colourful birds to small animals like squirrels, hedgehogs and field mice. During the winter season, birds will visit your garden for much-needed food, water and shelter. As natural food sources are diminished in the colder months, adding a bird feeder with seeds and fats to your garden is also a brilliant help for these winged winter visitors. A water feature, such as a pond or birdbath, will attract birds and other wildlife to your outdoor space, providing a place to drink and wash.

https://www.farmandpetplace.co.uk/shop/products/wild-bird/wild-bird-feeders/fat-feeders/pa

Animals like hedgehogs and dormice will hibernate during the winter to avoid the chill. These animals may be in your garden, hidden from view. Hedgehogs tend to nest in fallen leaves, underneath logs or in compost heaps and garden sheds, usually between November and March. Raking leaves that have fallen into piles will help hedgehogs cosy up during this cold time. Mice tend to hibernate throughout winter in nests on the ground, curling up in a ball for warmth. After the temperature drops, other animals like frogs, toads and grass snakes may be hiding in your garden, nestled up in compost heaps or other warm secluded spots. Leaving your garden untouched until early spring allows shelter to be provided throughout winter.

Badgers don’t sleep through the whole hibernation period and will still look for food, therefore it is important to regularly put out food and water. The winter weather will take its toll, so badgers will need as much food as they can get to keep their body weight up and remain warm. Some food to leave out for badgers to give them a helping hand this winter is specialist badger food, some fruits, like apples, plums or pears, and nuts, such as unsalted peanuts or brazil nuts. Additionally, you can leave out root vegetables like carrots, along with some cooked potatoes. Foxes could also use some help this winter. The best way to feed foxes in your garden is to try and replicate their natural diet. Primarily this means meat protein so leave out cooked or raw meat, tinned dog food, or specially formulated fox food. The foxes that visit will also be pleased with treats like unsalted peanuts, fruit and cheese.

Leaving out fresh water every day is also a beneficial way to help wildlife this winter. At this time of year, it’s common for wildlife’s natural supply of water to be frozen. Placing water around your garden is a big help, especially to birds as they need to bathe regularly to keep their plumage in good condition. Placing a birdbath in your garden will be a big help to them. As well as this, putting out a shallow dish of fresh water is a simple way to help those animals on the ground like hedgehogs and mice.

Wild Winter Days 🦆🌳

The winter months may make you feel restricted due to the shorter days and longer nights, however this section will give you plenty of tips to get out this winter and discover some winter wildlife wonders. A very common activity during winter is to wrap up warm and head out for a walk in your local woodland, not only is this giving you some fresh air and exercise but it is a chance to take a look at the nature around you at this time of year. Something you can do on your own or try to encourage others to join in is searching for animal tracks. Look for animal footprints in the mud or snow, keep an eye out for owl pellets, and notice what kind of fur has stuck to the fence or barbed wire, can you spot the difference between a slug trail or a snail trail? 

Another option is to walk to your local park or green space to feed the ducks. At this time of year, ducks and other wild waterfowl need the public’s help to supplement their natural food source, when plants and flowers become scarcer. Kale, cabbage, oats, corn and lettuce are great alternatives to a ducks natural diet of insects and plants, or you can pop in to your local petplace and view our range of wildlife foods.

Breaking the ice 🐟

If you have a shallow pond in your garden, and it has frozen over, it is recommended to make a hole in it. This is because, without a hole, toxic gases can build up in the water, which may kill any fish or frogs that are hibernating at the bottom. Additionally, any snow should be brushed from a frozen pond’s surface, as it blocks the light and will stop underwater plants from producing oxygen. Under such conditions, oxygen levels can fall significantly. According to Pond Conservation, ponds are among the most threatened UK habitats, with government data showing that 80% of ponds in England and Wales are in poor or very poor condition. Please find below instructions on how to properly make a hole in a frozen pond.

https://www.tetra-fish.com/pond/learning-center/get-educated/using-pond-de-icers.aspx#:~:text=Remember%3A%20Never%20break%20the%20ice,in%20your%20pond%27s%20frozen%20surface.

Prepare for spring 🌷🌤️

This time of year is a premium time to prepare your garden for spring to ensure that it continues to play an important role in thriving wildlife. Bird boxes and any kind of nest/den boxes, which may have been used over winter as shelters for small birds and animals, will need to be cleaned and maintained ready for nesting season. Early-flowering plants like hyacinth or iris should be planted to give pollinators an important early source of nectar, and flowerbeds can be mulched to nourish the soil.

Building a bee/bug hotel is another activity that can be done in preparation for spring, you can buy a ready-made bee hotel or you can get the whole family involved and build one together. Bee hotels are designed to provide suitable nesting opportunities for bees that would usually seek out old beetle holes in wood, other small, pre-existing tunnels or hollow plant stems. By building a bee hotel, not only will you see thriving wildlife in your garden, but you will also be helping save the bees. Native bees are very important as they provide an important link to the environment by carrying pollen from one plant to another to ensure the growth of seeds and fruits. Pollinators are a key element in the agricultural industry, and the world’s food supply would be smaller, less colourful and less nutritious without bees. Please find below a link to other wildlife products that petplace stocks.

https://www.farmandpetplace.co.uk/shop/products/wild-bird/other-wildlife/