Wild cities in winter – where to find urban wildlife this season

 Urban nature enthusiast and author of 'Wild City' Florence Wilkinson tells us what wildlife to look out for across our towns and cities this winter.

At this time of year a lot of our urban wildlife is hidden in the earth beneath our feet; under logs and rocks, in cracks and crevices. As the weather turns, many creatures retreat to the relative safety of their winter resting places until spring.

Slowworms lie concealed under piles of dead leaves or at the bottom of compost bins. Frogs, toads and newts ‘brumate’ under stones, garden sheds, bits of old wood or even an old traffic cone, emerging only occasionally during warmer spells to forage.

 Common frog (Credit: RSPB)

Bats remain buried in the nooks of old cellars or the walls of railway tunnels, although they too will venture out in milder weather for a sip of water or a snack if they can find one. On my 1980s housing estate in North London I see pipistrelles sporadically throughout the winter – tempted out, perhaps, by the urban heat island effect, which raises temperatures by a few degrees in towns and cities compared to the surrounding countryside.

At the bottom of ponds and waterbodies, insect larvae lie hidden among the silt. Some will spend years down there before metamorphosing into their adult form for a few short days or weeks during the spring or summer.

Deeper down, in burrow systems, water voles huddle in small family groups, munching on food from their ‘larders’ or roots they find beneath the surface. Every now and then they pop up above ground, but with few areas of vegetation to hide in they have to be extra vigilant if they’re going to avoid predators such as foxes or grey herons.

Also in tunnels of their own making – sometimes occupying hundreds of square metres or more – are badgers, bedding down in nests of hay and straw. In colder climates than ours badgers will sometimes hibernate, but here they remain active all year round having built up a thick layer of fat to tide them over. In fact, urban badgers have more fat than most, weighing on average one kilo more than their rural relatives, thanks to a diet supplemented by human leftovers. At this time of year they seldom wander far from home, so close by a sett is the best place to see them.

While the swifts and swallows have long gone – migrating to warmer climes where insects still abound – there are still plenty of city-dwelling birds to connect with. One of my favourites – the colourful but relatively shy jay – becomes more visible as food becomes increasingly scarce. You’re more likely to find one on a birdfeeder at this time of year – especially if it’s well stocked with peanuts.

Urban raptors, the city’s high fliers, are active all year round – peregrine falcons plunge from rooftops in pursuit of pigeons, sparrowhawks lie in wait for their prey by garden birdfeeders, kestrels hover above parks and green spaces. House sparrows, starlings, blue tits, chaffinches, wood pigeons and of course our enduring symbol of winter the robin all remain present in towns and cities too.

 A Winter Robin (Credit: RSPB)

Meanwhile, climate change, coupled with the urban heat island effect, is impacting our wildlife in the most fundamental of ways. In some cases biological clocks are brought forward, as plants flower and birds and mammals mate ever earlier. This can have a devastating effect when, for example, bats become pregnant too early and lose their pups, or plants are killed off by a frost. But a few urban species are adapting and actually raising more broods as a result.

There are ways in which we can support urban nature at this time of year too. We can leave piles of leaves or woody cuttings, or make a dead hedge in undisturbed sections of our gardens and public green spaces. We can make a small hole when ponds ice over so birds can continue to drink and amphibians can come up for air. We can put out extra food for birds and hedgehogs (not all of them hibernate) and drinking water in shallow dishes when temperatures drop below zero.

  Hibernacula (Credit: RSPB)

Of course nothing lasts forever – not even the winter. And soon, perhaps even sooner in our towns and cities due to that urban heat island effect, the first snowdrops will begin to raise their heads. Given half a chance, nature will rebound – the crocuses will come, the toads will kick their way out of the earth and the swifts will return. But we cannot take these things for granted. In a world of increasing extremes, nature’s ability to adapt and regenerate is nothing short of extraordinary. Its survival through even the harshest of winters is one of the greatest reminders of this. All the more reason to give nature a home across our towns and cities.