The UK could see its first white Christmas in eleven years, with overnight temperatures of -3°C forecast over the coming weeks. Freezing temperatures are predicted across the nation, with winter showers combining to create icy conditions.
© Coatesy / Shutterstock.com
This couldn't be worse news for our winter wildlife, including the many bird species that remain in Britain all year round.
Wildlife in winter
Some species of garden wildlife hibernate over winter, when food is in short supply and the freezing temperature makes life difficult. Many mammals, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates nestle down in leaf piles, logs, tree bark, compost heaps and mud to stay alive.
The species that don't hibernate, such as birds and squirrels, often struggle to stay alive. They use fat reserves built up during the summer just to keep warm.
Everyone can do something to help wildlife survive winter, whether it's something simple, like leaving seed heads intact and creating natural habitats, or hanging and filling bird and squirrel feeders. Read on to find out what we can all do to help animals, birds and other creatures to weather a freezing winter...
1. Birdlife
The RSPB is asking householders across the UK to welcome birds into the garden this winter, when their natural sources of food, such as insects, begin to run out.
Research by the Department of Animal Pathology, at Cambridge University, suggests that while the cold weather alone is less likely to kill a young, healthy bird, it can prove fatal to weaker birds. This can include those that are heavily infested with parasites, injured, or suffering from disease.
The scientific study discovered 11% of wild birds had died solely due to weather-related factors, while 20% had suffered from disease. However, the sick birds were more likely to fall victim to freezing weather conditions.
Birds need calorie-rich foods such as suet, peanuts and sunflower hearts to maintain their fat reserves on freezing nights. The most common winter garden visitors include house sparrows, starlings, blue tits and wood pigeons.
Less common garden visitors, such as redwings, waxwings, bullfinches and blackcaps, are more likely to arrive in winter in their constant search for food.
Different species will eat different types of food. For example, sparrows and finches prefer seeds, thrushes and robins like worms and fruit, tits eat fat, and starlings will eat pretty much anything.
You can also feed birds leftovers including fruit cake, mince pies, unsalted nuts, dried fruit, fresh apples and pears past their best and grated cheese. Keep grapes, raisins, currants and sultanas out of dogs' reach, as they can be toxic.
Maintain the clean water in birdbaths and make sure it doesn't freeze over. Give birds a home by hanging bird boxes in safe places, such as on the garden wall, where cats can't easily gain access.
The RSPB says the combined size of gardens, back yards and balconies throughout the UK is almost three times bigger than the combined size of the charity's 200-plus nature reserves! That means there's a lot of space where householders can make a massive difference for nature.
2. Feed all wildlife
If you want to create a true wildlife haven for all species in your garden, make sure you leave out the right foods.
Wildlife experts suggest householders should put out enough food to see their garden visitors through the winter. However, don't put out excessive amounts of food as spring approaches, as it's unwise to make birds and mammals totally reliant on you as a food source once the cold weather crisis has passed.
As well as putting out food for birds, leave something out for the hedgehogs too. You can buy tinned hedgehog foods from some pet shops, as well as online. You can also leave out tinned dog and cat food (not fish-based), cooked minced beef or other meats and chopped hard-boiled eggs. Hedgehogs drink water and not milk.
Squirrels will forage for hazelnuts, chestnuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds and chopped carrots. If you're lucky enough to see badgers in your garden, leave them fruit such as grapes, apples and pears, peanuts, mealworms and dried dog food. Small mammals will eat nuts and seeds.
If you're keeping your feed in a garden shed, store it in sealed, labelled boxes, or you may find mice have helped themselves to the lot.
If you don't have a shed, try investing in a water-resistant outdoor storage cabinet for all your animal feeds and any other garden materials needed for your wildlife projects.
3. Frogs, toads and newts
Help amphibious creatures such as frogs, toads and newts to survive over winter by creating safe habitats. They will enter a state of torpor over winter, rather than full hibernation. This is a state of reduced physiological activity, marked by a lower body temperature and slower metabolic rate, which enables them to survive during periods when food is not readily available. They will awake from their slumber to look for food on warmer days.
Amphibious pond creatures may spend winter in logs or leaf piles. They can also be found underneath plant pots or stones. Some rest in the mud, or under compost heaps.
Take care if forking over your compost heap or doing any winter gardening jobs. To help them out, create a rock pile near your garden pond where they can shelter. You could also create a shelter known as a hibernaculum, with tunnels for frogs and toads; using logs, branches, rocks, bricks and even drainpipe cut-offs or cement pipes.
Float a ball in your garden pond to prevent it from freezing over completely, as this makes it easier to create a hole in the ice.
4. Insect life
Don't prune any healthy herbaceous plants at the end of autumn. Leaving them alone until spring means they can become perfect homes for insects over winter.
If you have already cut your herbaceous perennials, create bundles of stems instead. Fasten them together and put them in a seclude spot where they can't get blown away or flooded in the event of wet, windy weather. Insects such as ladybirds, beetles and even small mammals will take refuge there.
Certain insects are useful to have around to prevent early pest infestations the following spring. Insects can usually survive, as long as they are kept dry.
Butterflies often sleep in garden sheds and garages, while lacewings will shelter in logs, under loose bark and in cracks around door and window frames.
You can create these nooks and crannies yourself by tying up bundles of bamboo and leaving them in a dry spot. Don't mow areas of long grass over winter so insects can shelter there too.
5. Mammals that hibernate
Only three species of mammals hibernate in the UK over winter: hedgehogs, bats and dormice. Hedgehogs normally hibernate between October until March or April.
If you find a drowsy hedgehog in the open in winter, it is likely to be sick. Hedgehogs don't hibernate in the open, so Tiggywinkles hedgehog hospital advises bringing it indoors, placing it on a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel in a sturdy ventilated box and offering it some water and dog food. If it isn't responsive, take it to a wildlife rescue centre, or a vet who specialises in wildlife.
To help hedgehogs hibernate safely, create a leaf pile or compost heap in a dry and warm spot, such as behind your garden shed, in bushes, or under a tree to allow them to stay warm and sheltered.
Go one step further and leave them a weatherproof box with an opening so they can make their own shelter to safely hibernate. Using a plastic box turned upside-down on a waterproof groundsheet will give them good protection from the elements. Make sure it is weighted down with bricks or rocks on top and secured in a sheltered corner so it can't be blown away, even in strong winter winds.
As well as leaving fresh food and clean water out, giving hedgehogs in your garden somewhere safe and warm to hibernate is the best way to help them through the winter.
This is the time of year when many wild creatures need our help if they are to survive, so turn your garden into a winter wildlife haven and help keep them safe.