Letting your barriers down for wildlife

One of my RSPB projects at the moment is working with Barratt Homes on their largest development in the UK which is at Kingsbrook, Aylesbury. Construction of the houses started in July, and they are incorporating all manner of wildlife-friendly features so that nature has a home at the same time that the new residents have a home, to the benefit of all.

One of the key things that Barratt are installing, to their immense credit, are what we call Hedgehog Highways. It is a grand name for something that is just a little hole under a fence or wall, but it is a big step for a developer to take.

This picture below isn't Kingsbrook. This is a bog-standard housing estate. As well as the lack of greenery, you can see how the world is full of barriers. The gardens are impenetrable boxes. This part of our planet has been closed off to anything that can only walk or hop, so not only to Hedgehogs but also creatures such as Frogs, Toads and newts.

What a difference, however, if we make the effort to connect our little havens up. So we'd love you to have a think about whether there are things you can do to make it easier for wildlife to get in and out of your garden.

Maybe you have lovely hedges, in which case wildlife has the corridors it needs. But if your garden is surrounded by impenetrable boundaries, can you open up a new welcome?

Here's me taking a saw to an inconspicuous bit of fence in a corner of my garden. The hole only needs to be about 12cm square (5 inches) to serve most smaller creatures.

We've got a full page of tips about things you can do to create nature's highways and byways.

It also talks about how trees and shrubs are so important for birds moving through gardens, safe stepping stones.

Even a strip of longer grass is the corridor of choice for many creatures.

It's the kind of job that can take very little time to do, so we hope you feel inspired to open up your world and drop your barriers!