Keeping garden animals happy in the winter

The north wind doth blow. And we shall have snow. And what will poor robin do then, poor thing? He’ll sit in a barn and keep himself warm. And hide his head under his wing, poor thing.

 Hi Everyone,

This early British nursery rhyme is very appropriate for this time of year when temperatures are dropping, and food is becoming scarce. This month Percy Pine Marten is going to tell you how to make your garden a ‘winter paradise’ for all the creatures that live there.

One of the best ways to attract wildlife is a compost heap. In winter especially It can provide a haven and feeding area for animals such as woodlice, millipedes, ground beetles, slugs, frogs, small mammals and even hedgehogs. If you haven’t got a compost heap, it is very simple to make one by getting a plastic bin, placing it in a sheltered position, adding a few spadefuls of soil and then adding a mixture of’ green material’ like grass clippings, kitchen waste along with ‘brown materials’ such as prunings, dry leaves, newspaper, hay and sawdust. If you want to do something very special for frogs why not make a frog house or hibernaculum as it is called. All you need is an old growbag. Fill this with leaves and shrub clippings. The growbag will retain moisture to keep the frog’s skin moist while the plant material will insulate the frog from frost. Hedgehogs often struggle to find a suitable place to hibernate. Compost heaps are great for them. There are also many different types of hedgehog houses that can be bought from garden centres, pet shops and online. A suggestion is to make one as a family project. Find or buy a wooden box and cut a hole in one side at the base. You will need about 120 cm length of wood to make a tunnel to stop foxes and cats from getting in. This is then attached to the box. A hole is drilled in the back of the box and part of an old hosepipe is inserted for ventilation. You will also have to make a very strong lid for it. When it is finished you can add lots of cosy materials to keep the hedgehog warm. From dry leaves to straw and shredded paper. If you like you can even call your new hedgehog house a name such as “ Hoggit Cottage” or ‘’Prickly Palace” Remember to place it in a quiet sheltered part of the garden and cover it with leaves.

It’s important not to have too tidy a garden especially in winter. Do not cut back ivy for instance as the black berries are an excellent food source for insects and birds. The leaves provide shelter for them as well. Leaving hollow stemmed plants untouched provides homes for hibernating insects like ladybirds and lacewings. You can also buy or make an Insect or Bug hotel. A fun thing to make is called a ‘beetle mound .‘Loosen the soil with a fork, mix in lots of organic matter such as compost and rotted wood and scatter loose wood chips across the mound and cover this with turf. This will provide beetles, centipedes, spiders and predatory wasps with cover from predators and protect them from extreme temperatures. Scatter leaves over flower beds which helps to create a warm environment for minibeasts. Hedgerows are very important for wildlife. In the winter hedgerows offer warmth, protection and a place to hibernate. Bumblebees will shelter within the grass and bottom of hedgerows. Pygmy shrews also live amongst the undergrowth of hedges. Having a wildlife pond is very beneficial. It attracts many different creatures from damselflies to newts. Male frogs (especially) in winter will bury into the bottom of ponds and remain in a state of dormancy until warmer weather returns. Beetles, water boatmen and dragonfly larvae will do the same. If the pond freezes, ask an adult to melt a hole in the ice by filling a saucepan with hot water and placing it onto it until a hole has been melted. Cracking the ice with a stick should not be done as it can send shockwaves through the water and kill overwintering creatures. Clearing fallen snow from the ice so that submerged water plants can still produce oxygen is important. If you have no pond remember to provide a shallow dish of water at ground level for birds and mammals to drink from. 

Birds benefit from feeding in the wintertime especially if the food given has a high fat count to keep them warm. This includes food like fat balls, peanuts and Nyjer seed. You can buy special wire mesh feeders for holding seeds and other feeders for holding peanuts and fat balls. Do not leave fat balls in their mesh nets as birds can become entangled in them. Chopped up apples and pears placed just off the ground will entice ground feeding birds such as blackbirds’ robins and dunnocks. If you are lucky enough to have treecreepers in the garden which usually do not like coming to bird feeders smear hard fat onto tree bark which should entice them. To attract goldfinches, siskins and other finches put out Nyjer seeds and you will soon have an abundance of these birds. You can also put-up bird boxes and hanging willow nests which will provide shelter for birds like the wren. If you have a shed or outbuilding open a window or door so that birds can enter and keep warm. Butterflies such as the peacock and small tortoiseshell will probably have entered in October to hibernate.

My Pine Marten friends and I do not hibernate We are active throughout the winter although some changes happen to our body once that cold north wind blows. The soles of our feet are covered in thick fur which not only keeps out the cold but means we can move quickly across snow covered ground. We grow a winter coat which is longer and thicker and fluffier than our summer one. Our coat colour changes and becomes dark brown. If food is scarce, we sometimes go into gardens to see what we can find in dustbins. We are omnivores which means we eat anything from birds, insects, small mammals, fungi and berries and jam sandwiches!

 To Make:

How to make fat balls using pinecones 

Gather a wide variety of pinecones by visiting gardens, parks or forests. Because the pinecone is rough this gives the bird extra grip ensuring they can feed easily and quickly. It also is an attractive shape and fun to make.

1. Clean the pinecones and tie a long piece of string, ribbon or wire around the bottom of each one.

2. With an adult’s help, over low heat melt lard and mix with birdseed. bits of fruit, currants, grated cheese and breadcrumbs until it all sticks together. 3. Push the fat ball mix between the pinecone’s scales and build it up in layers until the pinecone is nice and fat. 4. Place in the refrigerator until the lard and mix has set. 5. Hang away from areas where cats may be lurking but put within a short distance of trees or bushes so that the birds feel safe.

3. Push the fat ball mix between the pinecone’s scales and build it up in layers until the pinecone is nice and fat. 

4. Place in the refrigerator until the lard and mix has set.

5. Hang away from areas where cats may be lurking but put within a short distance of trees or bushes so that the birds feel safe.

By Maureen Graham