Here are some simple things you can do to help prevent serious injury to birds and mammals.
Every day, birds and mammals are injured when they become entangled in the plastic rings that hold together packs of tin cans. After they are thrown away many find their way to open rubbish tips, causing birds and mammals to get their legs and bodies entangled. Sadly, in many cases this can be fatal. A simple way to prevent this from happening is simply to cut through the plastic rings before throwing them away. Such a quick and simple action could well save a bird or mammal from this life threatening ordeal.
Birds are frequently injured when they become entangled in the nylon cord that washes up on our beaches. This cord comes from fishing nets and other marine sources, and is non-biodegradable (meaning it does not rot away). Birds and mammals get their legs and bodies entangled in this cord, which in many cases can prove fatal. Every time you pick this cord up from from our beaches (and anywhere else it may be found), you could well be saving a bird or mammal from encountering this life threatening situation.
Birds are frequently injured by discarded balloons, either by becoming entangled in their cords or by swallowing the balloons when they have become flat. Floating on water, a flat balloon can appear to look like a jellyfish to a seabird, but when ingested it can prove fatal. At Brent Lodge, we are constantly seeing the tragic outcomes that loose balloons can have on our wildlife. You can help by not releasing balloons into the environment, and by picking up and safely disposing of any loose balloon that you may come across outside.
Discarded fishing tackle is extremely hazardous to birds and mammals. They get their wings and limbs caught up in fishing lines, sometimes remaining entangled for days until starvation or infection ends their life. Fishing hooks are swallowed by waterfowl causing days of intense suffering which often results in death. If you notice any discarded lines or hooks, please pick them up and dispose of safely.
If you are redoing your guttering, please first check to ensure that no birds or mammals have made a home under your eaves! Birds, bats and mammals often make their homes in and around your roof, and can become trapped inside if their access is closed by your maintenance!
From a horticulture point of view, cutting trees and hedges in the spring should usually be avoided. However, if you do need to wield the saw or pair of loppers in the spring, please be sure to check for nesting birds first! We receive many chicks at Brent Lodge whose nests have been destroyed when the tree or hedge they were constructed in was chopped to pieces by an unaware gardener.
Birds and mammals can easily become trapped in tins of paint or creosote that have been left open. Besides the immediate danger of entrapment and/or drowning, falling into a tin can also be fatal for birds due to ingestion of the contents whilst attempting to preen. Please be sure always to replace the lid on tins when left unattended, even if they are empty.
Mesh bags of nuts should be avoided when possible, as these can cause birds to get their limbs caught up and broken. Nuts purchased in such mesh bags should really be emptied into a proper purpose-built bird feeder.
Threads of cotton, nylon string and elastic bands can lead to serious injury and illness for birds and mammals when discarded in the environment. We've all done it: you notice a loose thread of cotton on your clothing, so you pull it off and drop it on the ground. It seems harmless enough, but we don't realise that birds tend to collect this material and build it into their nests. This causes the baby chicks to become entangled which quite often proves fatal. The same is true of elastic bands, which can also be consumed by some birds and mammals after being mistaken for worms.
Broken glass poses an obvious and severe threat to mammals and birds who may step on it, including us human beings! Always be sure to dispose of anything made of glass properly; glass bottles and jars should be taken to a "bottle bank" wherever possible. NEVER discard anything made of glass outside. If you see broken glass laying around, try to ensure that it presents as little danger as possible -- dispose of it in a nearby litter bin if you can. Be careful not to cut yourself!
Discarded cartons such as those from McDonald's "McFlurry" deserts pose a serious hazard to hedgehogs. Once they put their heads into the cup to get at any remaining ice cream, they become trapped by the plastic lid and cannot escape. Please be sure to place your cartons in a litter bin, and pick up any that you notice on the ground.
As we all know, cats are naturally inclined to hunt birds. Therefore, it is important to be aware that cats may visit your garden so that you can take steps to discourage them from preying on the bird population. Try to ensure that your bird table/feeders/baths and any food you place on the ground are well away from shrubs, bushes or fences, as cats can use these for cover whilst hunting. Bird houses/feeders should be placed as high as possible, and preferably surrounded by thorny bushes or rolled up chicken wire. Where possible, bird houses should be fitted with an extended entry port. These are metal tubes that are attached over the entry point, which serve to prevent cats and other predators from gaining access to the birds inside. They also prevent animals such as squirrels from gnawing the entry hole in an attempt to enlarge it enough to get in and steal those eggs. If you see a young bird in any danger, place it in a nearby tree (if it's not in immediate danger, it is far better to merely keep an eye on the baby bird and to leave it well alone; It's parents are probably nearby). Keeping your feline friend inside at dusk, dawn and, if possible, overnight serves to drastically reduce the number of injuries and fatalities that he or she may otherwise naturally inflict. A bell attached to your cat's collar will serve to alert birds and mammals of his or her impending arrival.
If you really have no alternative but to use a strimmer, then it is vitally important to check long grass and foliage beforehand. The best way to do this is to carefully rake through long grass. Dense undergrowth may be rigorously checked with a stick prior to strimming. Always keep your eyes open for animals; be aware. Many people do not consider that there may be hedgehogs or other wildlife residing in that long grass before using their strimmer. Please help to reduce the number of accidents by spreading the word. Remember: If you really must use a strimmer, check for animals first, then proceed with caution.
If you would like to download these simple lifesavers to print out and distribute, please click here
There are many ways in which you can help the birds and wildlife in your garden live happy, healthy lives. See below for advice on feeding garden birds, birds nests and nest boxes, and hedgehogs.
To read our article about how to ensure your garden is a safe environment in which hedgehogs can live and hibernate click here.
Hedgehogs are nocturnal mammals. They may visit many gardens in one night, foraging for caterpillars, worms, beetles, slugs, snails and any other food they can find. They may travel several miles in one night searching for food or, perhaps, a mate. As dawn approaches they usually return to their nest to sleep until it is dark again.
The hedgehog nest consists of garden debris, grass, leaves, pieces of paper and so forth. It is usually quite a large construction - over a foot long - and is often located under a hedge, shed, pile of rubbish or brambles. In winter, when nights get colder and their food is not so easily available, they will hibernate in their nest until conditions improve.
If a hedgehog is slightly frightened, it will raise it's spines to give it some protection. Sometimes it may run away, as they can be quite nimble! But, if very frightened, it will curl into a tight impenetrable ball. Hedgehog spines are actually specialised hairs which, when raised, are quite sharp.
You can encourage hedgehogs to visit your garden more often by placing out food, particularly when the ground is hard, such as in times of drought or hard frosts. However, it is important that you try to make sure your garden safe for them first. If there are no hedgehogs in your area, there may be a good reason for this (for example, a nearby badger sett, insufficient food or nest building materials, or too much damp). If you do not see hedgehogs, it is not advisable to introduce them to your area, as whatever discouraged or killed the wild hedgehogs may do the same to any that you release.
Never remove a healthy hedgehog from the wild, as it may be a mother with a litter of babies back in the nest awaiting her return. Without a mother, the hoglets will perish. Sometimes well-meaning folk move a hedgehog from their front garden to the back garden, where it is thought to be safer, but again this could result in any hoglets being left to starve.
That said, if you observe a hedgehog that is wobbling as it walks, appears injured, is particularly lethargic, is attracting the attention of flies, or is just lying for an extended period of time in an exposed position during the day time, please contact us immediately on 01243 641672 (or your nearest wildlife hospital).
By being aware of some of the dangers that hedgehogs may face in your garden, you can try to minimise those dangers by taking the following simple precautions:
Once you're confident that you have a relatively safe environment for a hedgehog, you can then encourage them to visit more often. Make a hedgehog box, or provide piles of leaves or straw under bushes, sheds, or in pampas grass, for them to nest in. Put out food and water, both in dry weather, and in the autumn and winter when they are trying to put on enough fat to survive hibernation.
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Hedgehogs will eat almost anything, from dog food to household scraps. Dog food is usually well liked, but do not offer cat food, as this is too high in protein for hedgehogs. Also, try small helpings of cake; biscuits; pastry; sultanas; bananas and other fruits; cooked potato and other cooked vegetables; baked beans; fish fingers; raw liver or mince; rice; pasta; mealworms and dried dog food. Both tinned and dried food especially for hedgehogs are commercially available. The crunchy cat biscuits or puppy complete food is also of benefit to the hedgehog's teeth.
Never give milk to a hedgehog, because it may cause stomach upsets. If cats try to eat the food, try putting the dish under a shed or low object so that the cats cannot gain access to it. Some hedgehogs will put their noses under the rims of saucers and flip them over, so where possible use a straight sided dish. When you are putting out the food, try not to use a torch; if they associate torch light with food, they might also associate motorbike or car headlights with meals-on-wheels, which is obviously not a great idea!
It's also very important to leave out clean fresh water, which is something that is all too often overlooked.
If you disturb a nest housing an adult hedgehog, replace the nesting material. The hedgehog will then either repair the nest, or build another elsewhere. If the disturbed hedgehog is hibernating and wakes up, leave a dish of dog food and some water each night until it starts to hibernate again. If there are babies in the nest, replace the nesting material as before, whilst trying to handle the nest as little as possible so as not to leave your scent on it. Keep an eye on the nest to see if mum returns. If there is no sign of her by the next morning, ring Brent Lodge (or your local wildlife hospital) for advice. Do not allow friends or children to uncover the nest for a peep; if the mother returns, she may abandon or even eat her young if she is further disturbed.
Sometimes the hoglets will leave the nest for a nose around. If a hoglet snuffles around looking for food but then returns to the nest, there is probably nothing to worry about. However, if it is crying; or if it's eyes are still closed; or if it is wobbly; or if it feels cold; or if there is no evidence of a nest nearby; or if it is attracting the attention of flies, contact us for immediate advice on 01243 641672. You can also contact the British Hedgehog Preservation Society on 01584 890 801.
Before ringing for advice about out-of-nest hoglets, it would be helpful if you check to see if there is a nest nearby. If there is a nest near the top of a slope, it is possible that the hoglet may have rolled out of the nest by accident. However, do not disturb the nest before you have sought advice. Also, check to see if the hoglet's eyes are open and, if possible, weigh it (both will give us an idea of it's age). Before handling the hoglet, don a pair of gloves; this will prevent your scent from being transferred onto the hoglet, and is more hygienic for you. Always wash your hands after handling any wild animal.
During the autumn weeks (from around mid-September onwards), please be on the lookout for small hedgehogs that might be visiting your garden. These hedgehogs, known as autumn juveniles, are big enough to be away from their mothers but too small to survive hibernation. They are from litters that were born late in the breeding season.
If these autumn juveniles do not gain enough weight before the cold weather kicks in, they will probably die. They need to weigh at the very least 450 grams (1lb), preferably 600 grams (22oz), in order to have sufficient fat reserves to sleep through the winter. Putting out meat based dog food can be a lifesaver. Water can also be provided, but please do not leave out milk as this can cause stomach upsets.
If the hedgehog weighs much under 600 grams (22oz) when the weather turns starts to turn cold, it is vital to intervene immediately. You should pick the hedgehog up using gardening gloves (or an old towel), and place in a high-sided cardboard box (they are very good climbers even when ill or injured!). Put plenty of newspaper in the bottom, provide some bedding (for example, a towel, sweatshirt or similar), and take the box inside. Then contact Brent Lodge on 01243 641672 for further instruction, as the hedgehog will need to be admitted to the wildlife hospital as soon as possible.
If you need to keep the hedgehog for any length of time prior to transportation to Brent Lodge, you may provide meat-based dog food and a small bowl of fresh water (but remember, not milk!). If the weather is cold and hypothermia is suspected (an indication of hypothermia is the hedgehog wobbling as it walks), place the hedgehog on a well-wrapped hot water bottle. Keep a towel draped over the hedgehog to keep the heat in. It is vital that the hot water bottle is kept warm, as if it's allowed to go cold it will draw the heat away from the hedgehog.
If you're not local to Brent Lodge (West Sussex, England), then rather than contact us, please telephone the British Hedgehog Preservation Society on 01584 890 801 for details of your local hedgehog carer.
Regardless of age or size, hedgehogs are not usually seen out in the day, so if they are it could mean they're either desperate for food or ill. If it appears to be searching for food or collecting nesting material and behaving normally, it may well be fine to leave it alone; Just put out a dish of food and fresh water. But if it wobbles, appears injured, is attracting the attention of flies or is lying in an exposed position, you need to intervene.
If it's winter time and the hedgehog appears uncoordinated and wobbly as it walks (as though it is drunk), or appears to be "sunbathing", the chances are it is hypothermic and needs urgent assistance.
These poorly hedgehogs should be taken inside (you may use an old towel to pick it up) and placed in a high-sided cardboard box. Put plenty of newspaper in the bottom and provide the hedgehog with some bedding (for example, a towel). Check it for injuries, fly eggs and maggots (these will need to be removed).
If it's winter time and hypothermia is suspected, place the hedgehog on a well-wrapped hot water bottle. Keep a towel draped over the hedgehog to keep the heat in. It is vital that the hot water bottle is kept warm, as if it's allowed to go cold it will draw the heat away from the hedgehog. Offer food (meaty dog food) and water, and contact Brent Lodge on 01243 641672 (or your local wildlife rehabilitator) as soon as possible.
There are many designs which can be used to make a hedgehog nest box. The image displayed here (click it to open a larger version in a new browser window) illustrates one such plan (information reproduced by kind permission of Hedgehog Helpline, Regd. Charity No 1046156). Other examples include: Breeze blocks with a paving slab on top; a plastic swing bin on its side; an upside down pet basket.
Commercially made hedgehog boxes are also available. Siting the house depends on the garden and from which direction the weather most frequently comes. For example, in hot weather the box should be sited where it is shady. In the winter, it should be protected from the prevailing winds. If a hedgehog has previously nested in your garden this may help you to decide where to site the box.
Filling the box with dry leaves and/or straw means that the hedgehog would have less work to do in building it's nest. Do not keep looking to see if a hedgehog is in residence. You could, however, place a small object at the entrance and check to see if it gets pushed away; if so, it may indicate that an animal of some sort is using the nest.
From the start of autumn many small hedgehogs are admitted to the Brent Lodge hospital with signs of dehydration and hunger. After a full examination and the removal of all internal and external parasites, the hedgehogs then have to be housed until they can be released in the spring. However, space at the hospital is limited, so you could help by taking care of one or two hedgehogs until around mid April, when the threat of frost is gone. Please contact us for more information about fostering a hedgehog over the winter.
Further hedgehog information is available from our friends at the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.
Below is a feeding chart that shows the foods that particular species of garden bird require over the winter months.
All foods are available at Brent Lodge reception, and at our thrice yearly open weekends.
Please click on the chart to view a larger version.
Chart compiled by Gary Ashcroft (Brent Lodge staff), November 2006
The information presented in the chart above is also represented in the following list:
If you have not yet picked the bird up, read all of this page before handling it.
If you have already removed the bird from it's environment, please read our advice at the end of this page.
Often, the first that you are aware of a baby bird freshly out of the nest is when you hear an insistent chirping from a corner of your garden or under a hedge. The baby bird will be crouching on the ground looking wide-eyed and innocent!
For the first day or two after they leave the nest, baby birds are not skilled at flying. They tend to manage to fly downwards easily enough, but flying back up to the safety of a perch in a thick hedge is much more difficult for them to master. Young birds are very vulnerable at this stage in their lives. They cannot defend themselves and are unable to escape easily, and so they are easy targets for predators.
The parent birds continue to feed their young for a week or two when they leave the nest, and will also try to defend them. You will often hear contact calls between the young bird and its parents.
During the early days after they leave the nest, young birds always give us the impression that they have been lost and abandoned, and people are tempted to pick them up and take them into their care (or bring them to us at Brent Lodge).
But if you watch carefully, you will see that the parents really do know where their young are, and continue to bring food to them regularly. All you need to do to help is to make sure you (and your neighbours) keep your cats indoors during the day.
It may seem to be a dangerous time for these young birds, but it is all part of nature's course, and we should leave them to take their chance, knowing that their parents will bring them the food that they need. At Brent Lodge we receive many young birds that have been unnecessarily deprived of their freedom by well-meaning people, leaving parent birds frantically searching for their offspring. Leaving young birds to be cared for by their parents is a much better option than taking their fate into our own hands.
Help should be given under the following circumstances:
If you do make the decision to rescue a baby bird, and you need to keep it for a few hours until you can get it to a wildlife hospital, place it in cardboard box with some torn up newspaper in the bottom, and leave in a warm, dark, quiet place.
Do not try to give it water. Instead, just liquidise some cat food mixed with a little water, and offer it to the bird from the end of a child's paintbrush. Do not try to feed the baby bird anything other than that.
Milk can cause enteritis which usually proves fatal.
If in doubt, always call Brent Lodge for advice (on 01243-641672), rather than trying to help but inadvertently making things worse. Our friendly staff are here to help!
Wildlife Welfare