More homes for wildlife

I have a lot of hedgehogs visiting my  garden since I started to put food out for them at night.  I put dried kitten food out which they seem to like.  I don't put a lot out as I think their natural food of insects, worm, caterpillars and such like are better for them.  In winter when the ground is frozen they will not be able to find these so it is good to supply an alternative for them.  They do hibernate in winter but they may wake and feel like a snack so it's good to provide something and also water.   The milder winters mean they might not be hibernating for as long.  I watch the feeding station with a trail camera at night so I can see when they are around.  If I don't see them for a few night I don't always put food out as it attracts the cats and sometimes rats.

This is a video of a rat visiting the feeding station a couple of years ago.

I've had a hedgehog house for a few years now but don't think there has been a resident staying in there. I have seem prospective tenants taking in nesting material but don't think they have stayed.  There is some nesting material in there now so I will keep watch on it.

The Garden Pond

I love my pond it is a great place for wildlife.  It has been a breeding place for frogs, toads and newts over the years. For the past  8 or 9 years the numbers of these has been reduced by the takeover of the pond by dragonflies.  There have been so many and their young, which are called nymphs have been eating all the tadpoles for quite a number of years and now there doesn't seem to be any amphibians around to breed in it any more.  With no tadpoles there is no food for the dragonfly nymph so maybe there will be no dragonflies now. 

This is the pond in March 2011 when it had been emptied and relined.  Luckily it didn't stop the frogs and there was spawn later in the month. By July it was flourishing again.  There were damselflies, frogs and newts to name but a few.  Below is a young newt. The grandchildren loved pond dipping to see what lived in there. 

I would recommend a wildlife pond to anybody if you have space.  Very little maintenance involved and lots of pleasure.  It provides water to lots of other creatures including our cat!