Natural England - Spare a thought for local wildlife during cold snap
Spare a thought for local wildlife during cold snap
11 January 2010
Natural England is asking householders in Yorkshire and the Humber to take action to help the region’s wildlife during the current cold weather. Reserve managers and volunteers with the organisation have also been busy.
Out at Natural England’s Humberhead Peatlands National Nature Reserve near Doncaster, Reserve Manager Chris Evans has had most of his time taken up ensuring sheep on the reserve have enough food and water whilst their natural food choice remains frozen below several inches of snow.
Sheep, acting like mowers, graze parts of the reserve to encourage healthy and diverse vegetation which also benefits ground-nesting birds come springtime. The sheep are usually corralled in specific areas by deep water-filled ditches but these have frozen which have provided escape routes for the sheep to explore other areas of the reserve. This has made Chris’ job much harder as he has to wade through the snow to bring them back into the corralled areas.
Chris and his colleagues recognise the exceptional support they have had from reserve volunteer and local farmer James Hinchcliffe who has helped them on the reserve and to move huge amounts of hay around the site.
Chris said, “Like most people, we were advised to keep an eye on the bad weather to make sure we could get home but I’d rather be here. Since the first snow at Christmas, I’ve been travelling in from Hull ever day. There’s a lot to do on the reserve looking after the sheep, putting up emergency fencing and keeping gates and locks defrosted. We’re a team out here and James has provided invaluable support.
Chris added “It’s also an amazing place to be. The white backdrop of the snow has provided some of the best opportunities to watch wildlife. Hares and other mammals looking for food, overwintering geese, short eared owls and rare hen harriers hunting low to the ground are all much easier to spot.”
Natural England provides this advice for anyone wanting to do their bit to help wildlife during the winter months.
Freezing weather is a potential death sentence for wildlife, and birds in particular, but by feeding the birds and gardening with wildlife in mind, people can help them survive the worst of the winter weather. Just a little water, food and shelter will turn a garden, backyard or allotment into a vital haven for wildlife in the freezing winter months.
Top tips to help make your garden wildlife-friendly this winter:
Don’t be too tidy, as many insects and small animals hibernate in dead looking plants during the winter.
Safeguard berries which are available as a natural food source and plant native berry-bearing shrubs in the garden.
Put out food for wild birds regularly, especially in severe weather. Set up a bird table and use high calorie seed mixes. Leftovers from Christmas or New Year meals can also provide a welcome boost for wildlife - cake crumbs, pastry and cheese are all readily eaten by wild birds.
Put out hanging feeders with sunflower seeds, sunflower hearts, or unsalted peanuts.
Provide fruit, such as apples and pears, for blackbirds, song thrushes and other members of the thrush family.
Make sure that water is available and that any ice is broken so that birds and animals have something to drink.
Put up nest boxes to provide roost sites for the smaller birds. They will then be used for breeding later in the year.
Think ahead to future winters and plant shrubs which will flower and fruit in the winter to provide nectar and food for wildlife.
The reminder to give wildlife a helping hand during the winter comes as the country continues to shiver in the current cold snap. When temperatures fall below freezing, birds struggle to find the food and fresh water that they need to survive the winter in healthy condition.
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For further information including pictures, please contact:
Emma MacDonald on 0300 0604231 or 07900 608073 emma.macdonald@naturalengland.org.uk
Natural England’s Big Wildlife Garden website is a great and fun way to learn about how to make gardens more wildlife friendly. For more information visit: www.bwg.naturalengland.org.uk
View more information about Humberhead Peatlands National Nature Reserve
Berries to look out for
Holly
Holly is a slow-growing evergreen that is very hardy. Female flowers develop into clusters of bright red berries by late November and are greatly enjoyed by thrushes including the winter visitors redwings and fieldfares.
Mistletoe
Mistletoe is a well-known, evergreen, parasitic plant. It grows most commonly on apple trees, but also on blackthorn, hawthorn, lime, poplar, rowan and willow. It occurs from east Devon to Yorkshire, and is particularly common in central and southern England and around London. It has sticky white berries which appear around Christmas time, when there is very little other food available for wildlife. The berries are eaten by birds - the mistle thrush is named after the plant
Hawthorn
Hawthorn berries light up dull autumn and winter days with their crimson berries. Red berries (haws) develop from July and last well into winter when they are a vital source of food for birds. Hawthorn is used extensively for hedging, especially mixed with other species such as blackthorn. The red berries hang in clusters in the autumn are particularly attractive to redwings and fieldfares but are eaten by many other birds, as well as by small mammals. Hawthorn is also the food plant for a huge number of insects including some very attractive moths.
About Natural England
Natural England is the government’s independent advisor on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public.
We establish and care for England’s main wildlife and geological sites, ensuring that over 4,000 National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest are looked after and improved.
We work to ensure that England’s landscapes are effectively protected, designating England’s National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Marine Conservation Zones, and advising widely on their conservation.
We run England’s Environmental Stewardship green farming schemes that deliver over £400 million a year to farmers and landowners, enabling them to enhance the natural environment across two thirds of England’s farmland.
We fund, manage, and provide scientific expertise for hundreds of conservation projects each year, improving the prospects for thousands of England’s species and habitats.
We promote access to the wider countryside, helping establish National Trails and coastal trails and ensuring that the public can enjoy and benefit from them.