Winter is a beautiful time of year. With all the fallen leaves, muddy puddles, bare trees and holly berries there is so much natural beauty to draw us outside.
So what are you waiting for? Wrap up warm and head out for an explore!
Busy exploring! – David Tipling (RSPB-images)
Below are some fun Wintery Wildlife tips for you to do this winter...
Be a detective:
Muddy paths or snow covered trails are perfect for tracking wildlife. Mammals are especially hard to spot because they tend to be more active at night and quite secretive during the day.
But ... during winter they can leave secret footprints giving us an insight into their mysterious lives in the woodland. Be a detective and see if you can recognise who left the footprint.
Red deer footprints in mud – Mike Read (RSPB-images)
Also look out for feeding signs left by small mammals. Gnawing marks left on acorns can give all kinds of clues of which creature has been feasting on the nut. Squirrels break their nuts right in half, but birds leave a jagged edge where they have been pecking at the nut. Small rodents like bank voles and wood mice will leave small bite marks around the edges of the nut. You might even discover some hazel dormice feeding signs!
Don’t be afraid to get on your hands and knees and explore for evidence of wildlife during the winter months. You’ll be amazed at what you find!
You can download our trackers guide here: www.rspb.org.uk/animaltracks
Make wildlife homes for winter:
Winter is a time when most wildlife will be looking for warm, sheltered places. Sometimes these spaces can be hard to come by. Leaving a messy corner in your garden can be a life saviour for wildlife. Stones, rocks, leaves, branches, logs etc. provide the perfect hiding place for wildlife to crawl up under and keep warm through the winter months.
A pile of leaves or a log pile is the perfect hibernating home for hedgehogs. Hedgehogs usually start hibernating in mid-November but because of our so far mild winter there may be the odd one about still searching for that comfy resting spot.
Leaving a gap in the fence for Hedgehogs - Eleanor Bentall (RSPB-images)
Creating an ‘overwintering’ wildlife patch is also really important for frogs and toads. A small pile of rocks and stones near some damp ground is ideal for hibernating amphibians. These stones will also provide an ideal home for insects to nestle in with the added benefit of a tasty lunch for frogs when they wake up in spring!
Leave out some tasty wildlife treats:
During winter it becomes much harder for wildlife to find food so that extra helping hand can make all the difference.
Why not make a yogurt-pot seed cake to encourage garden birds in your garden? Take a yogurt pot, some seeds and lard to create an extra tasty treat for birds this winter. These seed cakes are a great source of energy for our birds too!
Why not also create a Natural Christmas tree to put outside? Fill it with edible ornaments such as berries, raisins, cheese and peanut tinsel for a Christmassy treat for wildlife.
Making seed cakes - Andy Hay (RSPB images)
Go on a fungal hunt!
while fungi are at their best in the autumn there are still plenty to see
While fungi are at their best in Autumn, Winter is still a great time of year for exploring fungi! All the damp ground is perfect for fungi to grow and there are just so many crazy and amazing types to find...
Head for a woodland walk with your camera to snap some good fungi pics. Then sit down with a hot chocolate at home and see if you can name some of the fungal species you’ve found. Some of my favourite names include: turkey tail, chicken of the woods, beefsteak fungus and witches butter.
What will you find...?
Fungal hunting – David Tipling (RSPB-images)
Go spider spotting:
Spiders are at their biggest in winter, so are even MORE impressive when found. During winter spiders have adapted to either live indoors or to live outdoors. So if you see one in your house don’t put it outside as it probably won’t survive!
Some spiders can weave up to 7 different types of webs. See how many you can find...?
Garden spider in web – Guy Rogers (RSPB-images)
Wildlife does some amazing things during winter. Make sure you get out there and explore...
Well that’s it, last blog of the year.
I wonder what amazing wildlife treats and adventures we will have at Coombes Valley next year, stay tuned...
Thank you so much to all our lovely followers/ guest-bloggers and blog-readers. You’re all wonderful wonderful people and we really appreciate your continuous support here at Coombes Valley.
Have an amazing Christmas and New Year!