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Winter Wildlife: Creating Habitats for Birds and Small Mammals



A robin perches on a frozen branch
A Robin perched on a frozen branch


Whilst the winter landscape forms the backdrop of many poems, fairy tales, and stories, the harsh temperature drops, muddy conditions, and overcast, soggy, environment can be a strain on biodiversity. While most native trees and shrubs are adapted to these conditions, and most animals too, giving a helping hand to the wildlife can see a strong increase in the health of your property, especially when viewed from an integrated standpoint. Though technological advances have made things much easier and faster for humans, it can often have a harshed effect on the environment and the things that live there. 

Take hedgerows for example, hedgerows used to be abundant but have gradually reduced in frequency over the years. Hedgerows are a tremendous source of biodiversity, animal habitat, pollinators, and abundant flora on the smallest patch possible. In the past they would be carefully cultivated by hedgelayers, who would use his knowledge of the natural processes of the plants to develop a thick and impenetrable barrier between properties. These hedges would have been filled with copious grounds nesting birds, insects, and other fauna and flora. Technological processes have meant that now instead of being trimmed by a hedgelayer, a tractor with a hedge cutter attachment can do the same work in half the time and for a massively reduced cost. That’s progress for the farmer certainly, but this way of doing things has resulted in incredibly anemic, brutally cropped hedges that support very little vegetation and, as it follows, very little animal life. 

This is just one example of countless processes by which we have advanced our abilities but at the cost of the habitats and environments that lead to abundant wildlife and biodiversity. But it doesn't need to be just one thing or the other, using innovative processes we can encourage abundant wildlife without substantially impacting time or bottom line. 


Birds, small mammals, and insects rely on habitat for winter security, finding and storing food for the winter months, and protection from predators and the cold winter months. Here’s how we build habitats to support these creatures through the wintertime, and how you can too.


Creating Effective Winter Habitats


Incorporate Native Plants


The first thing we look to do at any new site is incorporate native species of plants. The animal species that we are seeking to help, naturally recognise the uses of these plants without needing to adapt to their presence. 

The fruit of these plants, such as Holly (Ilex Aquifolium) or Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), provide a rich source of food for birds and insects throughout the winter. 

Winter grass like Meadow Foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis) can offer food and shelter, especially for small rodents and ground nesting birds.

Evergreen trees and shrubs like Yew (Taxus Baccata) or Scots Pine (Pinus Sylvestris) can offer warmth and shelter from wind. 


Leaving The Leaves


Although leaf blowing and picking up is traditionally part of a grounds maintenance teams job list, we recommend to our clients to leave them in situ. They form a natural part of the environmental cycle, breaking down to allow the nitrogen to return to the soil, whilst in the meantime providing warmth and shelter for small animals, as well as a naturally warm space for insects, which in turn provide food for the animals. 


If the client feels that the spread leaves are unsightly, a crate can be created (similar to a compost box, to store the leaves in. This can contribute all of the same benefits whilst creating a cleaner and tidier aspect when viewed from the outside.


Provide Shelter Options


There is a massive amount of potential shelter that can be provided for animals in their natural habitat, from planting native tree and shrub species to log pills, leaves, sticks, and natural cultivation. We believe strongly in Conservation cutting, maintaining as much natural material as possible in order to facilitate habitat for wildlife. For instance we are able to provide a truly dizzying array of habitats, from standard bird boxes and dove cotes, to bee hotels, bug hotels, butterfly houses, bat boxes, hedgehog houses, amphibian habitats, nesting platforms, log piles, boxes for various owl species, swallow nest cups….. You get the idea! The fact is that we are able to create versions of just about any habitat found in nature, and provide them for the fauna in your environment. 


Consider The Priorities


Often, the first priority of many ground works initiatives is aesthetics, and we get it, we all want beautiful environments and there really is something beautiful about perfectly manicured lawns and hedges, no unsightly dead branches in the trees, and straight lines everywhere you look, but you know what else is beautiful? Nature. There is something truly awe inspiring about a totally natural landscape doing it’s own thing, as it was meant to do it. And not only can that look good, but those creatures, great and small, that you are trying  to protect in the wintertime? Well wild is how they like it best. Are the overgrown grass is nest and shelter, the old trees with the nooks and crannies and cavities? Those make perfect shelter. The piles of leaves under the tree? Insulation against the cold. 

We strongly recommend leaving as much of your landscape as possible in it’s natural state, or even progressing that natural state. How? I’ll tell you. 

We cultivate specific cutting techniques for trees, to mimic the natural wounds, cracks, holes, and damage that they take over the course of their long lives and we encourage animals to nest there. 

When we have to remove a tree, we often ask people if they will consider leaving the trunk as a monolith, not only does it continue to store carbon, but it’s a crucial habitat and feeding ground for animals and insects. 


Feeding Stations


We are big proponents of feed stations. Seed especially is an absolutely crucial fuel for birds and squirrels and can allow them to survive through the harsh winters. Specific care can often need to be taken in the positioning of these stations to avoid predators and also to try to minimise spillage, but the sheer number of bird visitors to a feeding station should convince anybody that it’s a good idea. 


We are also proponents of stocking the animal habitats that we install with feed every few days, to ensure that any animal that does take up residence has a steady source of nutrition. 


Water Sources 


Much like the feeding stations, water sources can be the difference between life and death for these small creatures. A heated bird bath or other water source that doesn’t freeze, can drastically improve survival rates, especially in the frozen months of the winter when these animals may struggle to find hydration sources. 


Conclusion 


In the summertime, when nutrition is abundant and the warmth of life radiates across the land, it can be easy to lose sight of how the work we do affects the animals that inhabit the landscape, but never do we feel more connected, or more crucial, than in the winter time, when the choices we’ve made and the steps that we’ve taken can be seen for the essential acts that they are. 

We call on all grounds maintenance companies to give consideration to these matters, and also to educate your clients on them.


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