All posts by Kris Inglis

Environment

Help for thirsty creatures

Have you noticed any water bowls tucked into hedges or by trees when walking in the park since that midsummer heatwave?

Thanks to two loyal creature/critter supporters these provide some water in what can be a very dry environment. Hard to believe at the beginning of 2021 but now…

If you would like to help, take a bottle of water with you when you walk in case they are empty. Especially when the weather gets warmer. Please leave the stones are in to provide escape route for wildlife falling in the dish – frogs, insects etc)

THANK YOU!

Environment

HEDGEROW PROJECT – Part 2

Maybe you’ve noticed the two new  plantings of hedgerow saplings on Rowton Road bondary. These are thanks to a few hardy volunteers who just completed the project started in early December. We still had to abide by social distancing but there will be future opportunities for larger group efforts.

 

 

 

 

 

There are now nearly 300 saplings p;anted including: silver birch, downy birch, crab apple, dogwood, dog rose, hawthorn, goat willow, cherry, blackthorn, hazel and rowan.  We’ll have a Hedgerow ID Walk sometime in 2023!

Hedgerow vista – 3 patches

 

 

 

 

 

Look for the native daffodils growing alongside the patch in foreground.

 

The longterm plan is to keep them alive and thriving and then manage the size in a natural way. This is to provide habitat diversity and links to green spaces across Plum Lane where there is a new school orchard. Remaining saplings (free from Woodland Trust) will be donated to a greening project in progress on Herbert Road. The oak saplings are going to be used in a Plumcroft project hopefully this autumn.

 

Environment

DAWN CHORUS DAY – 2 May

Spring is truly blossoming now and birds are busy everywhere. Spend some time rediscovering the bird boxes along Dothill path and the various holes in trees.

National Dawn Chorus Day is Sunday 2 May and the RSPB has an excellent ID guide to birdsong (for 20 species) for you to learn before then; or any morning you’re up at dawn…

So open your windows wide or scamper over to the Park at 5.30am on or around May the 2nd for a real treat. You may even see bats returning to roost.

BIrd song identification

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-songs/what-bird-is-that/

RSPB site for Dawn Chorus facts

https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/events-dates-and-inspiration/events/dawn-chorus/

Should be a lot on Twitter too……

 

Environment

Hedgehog Diaries – Midsummer

Those hedgehogs that had their litters in June will have started to take their babies out on foraging trips at night. This is so that the babies start to learn to find food for themselves. They won’t leave their mother just yet through, returning to the nest with her and continuing to take her milk as well as the food they find whilst out and about. It’ll be a few more weeks before they’re ready to leave, but they will be starting to develop the vital skills that they need to be able to survive on their own.

Did you know: the biggest predator of hedgehogs in the UK is the badger. Find out more here. 

You may have seen in the news , headlines telling us that a number of our beloved native species are seriously in danger Amongst them is the hedgehog. If we all do a little bit to improve the environment for our prickly friends, we can play our part in helping to change that. Here are the things that you can be doing this month in your garden and in the local area to be kind to hedgehogs:

  • Review the chemicals that you might be using in your garden. Slug pellets are a major threat to hedgehogs. They forage for the slugs and snails and can inadvertently ingest these poisonous chemicals. Slug pellets should be avoided at all cost as they kill hedgehogs.
  • Remember to check overgrown areas before you use a strimmer.
  • Don’t forget the importance of creating a small gap in your fences (13 cm by 13 cm) to help local hogs to get about more easily.
  • Offering clean, fresh water to visiting hogs will continue to be a small, but very important, thing that you can do over the weeks ahead.

SPOTTED A HEDGEHOG IN YOUR GARDEN?   If you spot a hedgehog either in your garden or somewhere in the local area, please let us know. It would be really exciting to build up a picture of where and when they are being seen locally.

You can also log your sightings with Hedgehog Street (the project run by the Hedgehog Preservation Society) who are building up a national picture of the state of our hog population.                               Find out more here

If you spot a hedgehog out during the middle of the day, they may well be in trouble. Contact Willow Wildlife for advice on 07956 472284 or Michelle (on behalf of Friends of Shrewsbury Park) on 07849 534759.

More from the Hedgehog Diaries next month.

 

Environment

THE HEDGEHOG DIARIES: JUNE

As we learned last month, May was when the hedgehog breeding season started to get into full swing.  Once pregnant, it will be around four weeks before a hedgehog mother gives birth to her litter. The number of hoglets born will normally be between four and five.

For those mothers who started the breeding season early, their hoglets may already have started to emerge from the nest. It’s more likely that you’ll start to see babies in July, but keep your eyes open because you never know when they’ll be about.

Did you know that a hedgehog can live for up to 6 years? Find out MORE HERE.

Here are our top hedgehog tips for this month:

SPOTTED A HEDGEHOG?   If you spot a hedgehog either in your garden or somewhere in the local area, please let us know. It would be really exciting to build up a picture of where and when they are being seen locally.

You can also log your sightings with Hedgehog Street (project run by the Hedgehog Preservation Society) who are building up a national picture of the state of our hog population. Find out MORE HERE.  ‘Make a hole, make a difference!’

CONTINUE TO PROVIDE FRESH WATER    Although we’ve had a lot of rain in recent weeks, fresh water remains an important resource. Continue to put out a shallow dish in your garden and keep it topped up with fresh water throughout the month.

GARDEN PONDS    If you have a pond in your garden, you may get hedgehogs visiting for water and to find yummy invertebrates to eat. Always make sure that there is an escape route, with a gentle shelved area to allow any animals who fall in to the water a to get out easily. Hedgehogs can swim, but may drown if they are unable to climb out of the water.

LITTER PICK    Sadly, there have been instances of littering in our parks and open spaces. If you’re out and about and see something that could be harmful to wildlife, please consider carefully picking it up and placing it in a bin. Always be aware of vital hand hygiene, though, and it’s recommended that you wear gloves. Thoroughly wash your hands for at least 20 seconds if you touch anything that has been discarded.

Some of the things that can be particularly harmful to animals like hedgehogs include:

  • Discarded elastic bands: they can be an entanglement risk
  • The plastic holders from multipack drinks cans: they can be an entanglement risk
  • The plastic/foil/cardboard tubes that some savoury snacks come in: these represent a suffocation risk to small mammals such as hedgehogs

NOT BUILT YOUR HEDGEHOG SUPER-HIGHWAY YET?    Don’t forget that it’s a simple case of cutting a 13 cm x 13 cm hole at the bottom of a fence panel to create one. This gives hedgehogs the chance to roam between gardens, find suitable nesting spaces and a plentiful supply of health food and water.

Check out recent VIDEO HERE Got any grub….

If you spot a hedgehog out during the middle of the day, they may well be in trouble. Contact Willow Wildlife for advice on 07956 472284 or Michelle (on behalf of Friends of Shrewsbury Park) on 07849 534759.

More from the Hedgehog Diaries next month.

Thank you Michelle!

 

Environment

THE HEDGEHOG DIARIES: MAY 2020

May is the month when love is in the air for our hedgehogs.

Keep an ear out for loud grunting and snuffling noises in the garden at night. This could be a giveaway of amorous hedgehog activity.

Did you know, that after mating, the male hedgehog leaves and takes no part in rearing the young? You may see a hedgehog collecting leaves for bedding material, it’s possible this could be a female preparing her nest for the arrival of her babies. If you’d like to know more about hedgehog mating behaviour, you can read more here.  https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/about-hedgehogs/hoglets/

Here are some of the things that you can be doing in May to help for the arrival of this season’s baby hedgehogs.

FRESH WATER

We’re still experiencing very dry conditions, so the top recommendation this month is to continue to put out plenty of fresh water. Use shallow bowls that are easy for the hedgehogs to drink from.

Remember that meaty dog or cat food is a great supplement to their diet. Whilst beetles are their favourite, putting out a bowl of food will give them an extra boost.

STRIMMING YOUR GARDEN? PLEASE TAKE CARE!

Strimmers are one of the biggest causes of serious injury & death for garden hedgehogs. If you are using a strimmer, please check all areas of long grass and brambles carefully first. A hedgehog was found in the park a couple of years ago that had suffered a rear leg amputation. Sadly the hog had to be put to sleep, and it was felt highly likely that he or she had suffered a strimmer injury.

LEAVE AN AREA OF YOUR GARDEN FOR NATURE

Hedgehogs will often bed down in overgrown areas of a garden. If you can leave at least one area untouched, then the wildlife will love you forever! You’ll benefit from visits from bees and butterflies as well as other species. If you include some dead wood, you’re also creating the perfect habitat for our endangered stag beetles. Visit https://ptes.org/campaigns/stag-beetles-2/stag-beetle-facts/

BUILD A HEDGEHOG SUPER-HIGHWAY

If you haven’t yet spoken to your neighbours about creating a hedgehog super-highway, then there’s no time like the present. Just a 13 cm x 13 cm hole at the bottom of a fence panel is all it takes. You could be rewarded with the pitter-patter of tiny hoglet paws in the months to come if you do!

 

 

Environment

Keep moving! says RBG

Instructions from Royal Borough of Greenwich when you’re exercising in the park

PLEASE DO NOT sunbathe

                   DO NOT sit on benches or the grass

                   DO NOT play sports, even 2m apart

 It’s tough, but vital in the circumstances if we want this park to stay open and be ready when we can roam free again.          Thank you, friends and neighbours
Environment

Spring 2020 has sprung!

You may have been faithfully walking the dog in the Park in the rain or just hit the occasional sunny day so far, but hopefully you’ve seen the crocuses and daffodils appearing here and there. These are the results of planting over the last 3 years.

In November 2019 nine determined volunteers planted many new bulbs – courtesy again of Royal Borough of Greenwichl- mostly along the walkway from the top field to the Rowton Road slopes. Paul and Les tackled the perennial brambles to open up the old allotment loop path off Dothill.

Here are a few photos to say thanks for everyone’s efforts.