Wildlife & Bird Care

Three things: clean water, food, and shelter. A bird bath kept ice-free in winter is genuinely life-saving in hard frosts. Food in winter (suet, seed, peanuts) helps birds through scarcity; food in spring helps adults feed their chicks. Shelter means hedging, dense shrubs, or nest boxes — somewhere safe to nest and roost.

Autumn or winter is ideal — birds use boxes for shelter through cold months, and by spring they're well-established as familiar safe spaces. Position 2-4 metres up, facing roughly north-east (sheltered from prevailing wind and afternoon sun), well away from feeders (which can attract predators to the nest).

Hedgehog populations have collapsed by around 75% in recent decades, and supplementary food helps. Use specialist hedgehog food or meat-based dog/cat food — never bread or milk, which both cause illness. A shallow water dish nearby is equally important. Hedgehog houses give them somewhere safe to hibernate.

The two biggest things are: plant a succession of pollinator-friendly flowers (so there's food from February through October) and avoid pesticides. Add an insect hotel for solitary bees, a shallow water source, and let part of the lawn or border grow wild. A garden actively planned for pollinators can support hundreds of species.