No matter what it says on the tin, any chemical treatment that kills slugs or snails will, in some way or another, be bad for hedgehogs and, in our opinion, should be avoided.
Continue reading “Slug Pellets”
The latest research has shown that, while rural hedgehog numbers are still falling, in urban areas numbers are finally beginning to rise. Here is a video to help you make your garden hedgehog friendly and keep those numbers rising.
If you see a hedgehog, please record the sighting on the BIG Hedgehog Map; the more information we have about the species, the more we can help.
ONE: the BBC’s Gardeners’ World Magazine, which surveys its many readers annually, has just announced that urban hedgehog numbers appear to be rising. Excellent!
Continue reading “Ten Facts…”
On Wednesday, Ian found a dead hedgehog:
“Returning to the car park, towards the bottom of Simpson’s Field, I came across a dead hedgehog. It had been eviscerated, so most likely was killed and eaten by a badger. This is the first evidence of hedgehogs in the reserve since 2014.”
Here is a link to a recent post about the complicated relationship between hedgehogs and badgers.
Do badgers eat hedgehogs? Yes, they do.
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Hedgehogs were named for their noisy foraging. They root through hedges and undergrowth with their snouts, turning over the soil, looking for insects, worms, centipedes, bird eggs, snails, baby mice, frogs, all the while making loud piggy noises: snorts, squeals, and grunts.
All images: (CC0) from pixabay.com
Almost exactly a year ago, the hedgehog was included in the Mammal Society’s Red List For British Mammals, listed as Vulnerable to Extinction.
Continue reading “Hedgehog Heroes”
During this year’s Hedgehog Awareness Week, the British Hedgehog Preservation Society is asking people to turn their gardens into safe havens for hedgehogs. Our gardens are a stronghold for hedgehogs, perhaps the key to their survival as a species, and we can make their lives so much easier with just a little effort.
The name hedgehog came into use during the fifteenth century.
Continue reading “Naming hedgehogs”
Counting hedgehogs is not easy and the best information we have about hedgehog populations is always an estimate.
Continue reading “Counting hedgehogs”
Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 