Don’t forget wildlife!

It’s easy to forget wildlife with all the preparations for Christmas. It is an exciting time with many social visits as well as the constant worry of affording presents and even being able to send Christmas cards with the increase of postage stamps.

Maybe you can’t afford the bird food and peanuts with everything else happening. Leftovers are just as welcome as far as wildlife is concerned. Peelings of potatoes, carrots and other vegetables, if cooked off will soon be eaten. If you put it out warm on a bitterly cold day, it will help warm creatures as well as filling up their hungry stomachs. Stale bread made wet, cake crumbs and fruit such as apples that have started to deteriorate are all food items that will be eaten.

A container of fresh water each day will help on those frosty days and although it doesn’t seem to make sense, cold water will freeze slower than putting out warm water. Hopefully you have left plenty of leaves in corners of your garden to help with hibernating hedgehogs but also other animals such as toads. Many pollenating insects will hibernate amongst the leaves and if the leaves cover flower beds they will protect the soil from frost.

The arrival of snow will add to the problems of animals that need to find food sources during the winter month. Certain birds that have migrated to us for the winter will find feeding hard. Lapwings, Fieldfare, Red Wing and Waxwings will arrive and strip the berries from the hedgerow and then need an alternative food source.

Lapwings

It’s a wonderful, magical time of year that I hope you will all enjoy but remember wildlife that gives you joy throughout the year. From all of us at Secret World Wildlife Rescue ‘Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year’. We will still be here for advice or help through the Christmas Period. Tel:01278 783250

Pauline Kidner

November 6th 2023