Practice News
 Spring is in the air!Friday 5th March, 2010
You may have caught the spring cleaning bug, but when you come to turn your attention from the house to the garden spare a thought for the other creatures with whom you share it. All the wee beasties in your garden are shaking off the winter chill and preparing for breeding season, and there are various ways in which you can give them a helping hand.
Often the best way you can help your local wildlife is simply by leaving a small section of your garden untrimmed and overgrown. These little microhabitats can be a haven for insects, and the animals who feed on them. More and more people are choosing to actively help support wildlife, with half the adult population now putting out bird food. You may have been feeding the birds right through the winter, and they certainly should need less support now spring has arrived, but well-chosen foods can still be useful. Feed on a raised surface, which should be cleaned regularly to reduce contamination of the food. If possible the feeding site should be moved every month or so to prevent the build up of droppings underneath the feeder. Use foods such as black sunflower seeds, pinhead oatmeal, soaked sultanas and raisins, mealworms, waxworms and good quality seed mixes (e.g. from the RSPB) , and supplement with some cut halves of apple or pear. Avoid fat, bread and whole loose peanuts which can present a choking hazard if taken back to nestlings.
With the weather being so changeable the risk of temporary food shortages for birds has increased. A sudden cold, wet period can cause a massive drop in the insect population, and in very dry periods ground feeders will be unable to catch earthworms.
Come the spring we always see a sudden influx of ‘abandoned’ birds being brought into the hospital by well-intentioned members of the public. Fledglings will leave the nest when their feathers are fully grown, but normally spend a day or two on the ground before they are actually able to fly. So if you see a baby bird with feathers on the ground, leave it where it is! If it is in immediate danger e.g. in the road, move it to the closest safe spot, so it is still within earshot of the parents. Birds have a poor sense of smell so handling the baby will not cause the parents to abandon it, as long as they can find it again. If the baby is unfeathered or still fluffy and you can see the nest from which it has fallen, replace it if possible. Only if there is no other option should you take the chick away – as soon as you remove it from the wild its chances of survival are massively reduced. Take it to either a local vet, or a rescue centre such as Tiggywinkles, the Swan Sanctuary or Wildlife Aid.
You may also hear or see baby hedgehogs in nests in the spring or summer. They have a very loud cry. The mother will roam over several gardens looking for food and may take some time to come back to the nest. You should not handle the babies at all – it is not uncommon for the mother to eat babies who are contaminated with human scent. Only if you have watched for several hours for the mother’s return can you assume the babies have been abandoned – in this case contact a local rescue centre for advice. Make a point of checking round for nests if you’re clearing out the garage – they have even been known to nest in the grass box of lawn mowers! Try and be hedgehog friendly in the garden too – slug traps filled with beer or even wet cabbage are a good alternative to slug pellets. Place a ramp at the edge of your pond – hedgehogs are good swimmers but often cannot climb out of sheer-sided ponds when they fall in. If you want to feed hedgehogs put out non-fishy cat food, not bread and milk, which has little nutritional value and can cause diarrhoea.
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