Our Wildlife Needs Your Help!

Spring is on the way and wildlife needs our help.  If you have a garden or space where you can hang a birdfeeder, the birds will really benefit from the seeds and peanuts.  (Poor quality peanuts can carry the aflatoxin fungus, which kills birds if they eat it, so buy peanuts that are guaranteed aflatoxin-free from a reputable supplier.)

Fill the holes and cracks of a post or suspended log with fatty food, such as suet, for agile birds, such as tits, nuthatches, woodpeckers, treecreepers and even wrens.

If you put suitable food on the ground, space it out in different places in the garden. This will reduce competition between birds so that more birds can feed at any one time. They love apples – so consider sharing your apple cores, rather than putting them in the compost bin.

As nest building begins robins, sparrows, blackbirds and other garden birds  search for tiny twigs and plant debris such as dried moss. If you have a quiet corner where you can pile up suitable material, they can help themselves. If you have been pruning or tidying up, remember that making a pile of leaves, branches and logs creates great habitat for spiders and beetles which are eaten by several garden bird species. (Avoid hedge cutting from now till the end of August as this is the breeding season for nesting birds and they love the security of a dense hedge.)

Hedgehogs and frogs become active after hibernation. To attract frogs, if you don’t have a pond, consider an old plastic washing up bowl, sunk halfway into the ground in a quiet and shady spot with a big stone inside to help the frogs climb in and out. Fascinating to watch for children and adults alike but don’t be tempted to handle them: they need to be left to their own devices. You can find plenty of great tips on various websites: for example, try https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/how-you-can-help-birds/