How to help our wildlife over the winter months

During the winter months, with the colder temperatures and shorter daytime hours, we need to look out for our wildlife critters.

Ignoring the garden through the winter months is good for our wildlife – not only does it allow for your to pet your feet up but the undistributed piles of leaves or longer grass are great spots for them to hide and rest, or even to hibernate. Once early spring arrives the need for shelter will lessen and we can get back out and start sprucing up.

If you have a water resource in your garden, such as pond, it is a good idea to check for and break up any ice that may have formed after particularly cold or frosty spells to prevent gas build up which can be fatal to pond life. Take care when doing so – a good tip is to place a pan of hot water on top letting it melt its way through.

Talking about water, this is a very important resource needed by our wildlife. Leaving just a small bowl of water or having a birdbath is a great help to our local population.

Make sure your birdfeeders are topped up! It can be significantly harder for birds to find food resources during the winter, such as berries and insects, so birdfeed is very important to ensure they maintain the body fat they need to insulate them in a colder weather.

For more tips, visit the RSPCA website for some additional guidance.