The Wildlife (and Gardening for Wildlife) thread

[6Foot2]

Link: World Bee Day | United Nations

 

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We all depend on the survival of bees

Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities.

 

Pollination is, however, a fundamental process for the survival of our ecosystems. Nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or at least in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops and 35% of global agricultural land. Not only do pollinators contribute directly to food security, but they are key to conserving biodiversity.

 

To raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development, the UN designated 20 May as World Bee Day.

 

The goal is to strengthen measures aimed at protecting bees and other pollinators, which would significantly contribute to solving problems related to the global food supply and eliminate hunger in developing countries.

 

We all depend on pollinators and it is, therefore, crucial to monitor their decline and halt the loss of biodiversity...

 

[6Foot2]

Link: Owls in Towels

 

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Wildlife rehabilitators often wrap owls in fabric so they can be weighed, treated, and fed. If not, the owls get in a flap.

 

The result? Loads of pictures of #owlsintowels

 

[Ditto]

Some bee fun today. 2 doors away in our cul-de-sac, we had a swarm of bees arrive. Bee-keeper called and swiftly collect 10,000+ bees! Unfortunately no photos.

[6Foot2]

 

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Welcome to Springwatch 2025 - enjoy our wildlife cameras, live from the National Trust Longshaw Estate in the Peak District, bringing you the very best of British wildlife.

 

[LeMarchand]

Mistle Thrush photographed feeding an orphaned Blackbird: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/rare-moment-orphaned-blackbird-chick-31696681

[Dos_Box]

Came across this moth whilst out for a walk yesterday. It's not one I recognised and wasn't in any of my moth books (yes, I have moth books):

 

 

Turns out it's a Box Tree Moth, and a relatively new arrival in the UK from Asia. It's considered a serious pest in some regions - https://butterfly-conservation.org/moths/box-tree-moth

[6Foot2]

Yes, they are around:

 

Link: The Wildlife (and Gardening for Wildlife) thread - Page 38 | General Chat

 

 

[Koldov]

Well, I have quite the quandary... and unfortunately given the subject of this thread I'm not sure my problem will receive any favourable replies!

 

We have moved to a bungalow in a semi-rural village. The previous occupants had lived there quite a few years but from what we can ascertain were an elderly couple and only an old lady lived there in the end.

 

The garden was by no means a jungle, but had suffered somewhat from the obvious lack of regular maintenance. It must have been stunning in it's day, but now everything is overgrown. Down one side (right-hand in the photo) is a very tall hedge (maybe +15ft), a mixture of Box, Lilac, Elder and Hawthorn. On the other side (left-hand in the photo) and at the rear, is a smaller hedge (but massively overgrown and mostly dead on our side) of Box Honeysuckle (the hedge kind obviously, not the climbing kind), it's very wide though as it apparently 'walks' forward if not trimmed. In front of this, which probably hasn't helped, is a massive 20ft fir tree, a large mock orange, 2 x (very leggy) red robin, another Lilac and a couple of unidentified as yet bushes/shrubs etc. There are a few (again mostly dead) conifers in there too.. so on this side we lose at least 6ft of garden! There were also a few box type shrubs dotted around, a Flamingo Willow, some very leggy Lavender, lots of Ivy and various other plants/shrubs.

 

 

The garden isn't big, but as you can see is more of a retired person's garden, or at least someone who can spend every weekend out there. A lot of the trees and shrubs block the countryside views and I guess is more of an introspective garden, whereas we want something a little more open as we moved from a town (think patio slabs, fake grass, and gravel with views of a motorway and a massive Lidl warehouse). Anyway, sadly I think a lot of it will have to go...

 

So my 'problem' is two-fold really as it is obviously a haven for wildlife... I mean not badgers, foxes, or deer... more like hedgehogs, mice and... rats... 'move to the country' she said...

 

The loft had been infested with mice, very likely for years. I have had to remove all the loft insulation, finding 3 dead ones (which had decomposed onto the loft floor) and they'd pretty much used the whole thing as a toilet as everywhere was covered (lifting the insulation resulted in what I can only describe as mouse poo falling out like chocolate sprinkles)... we are still trapping (and releasing) them even now!

 

 

The rats climb the bird feeder pole as easy as if it was a ladder, to get the bird food (which I think I've prevented mostly now with two metal frame hanging baskets zip tied together).... but the worst issue is the hedgehogs...

 

We have dogs, Greyhounds to be precise and they are so prey driven that we have to collar them, muzzle them and do a lap of the garden with a head torch before we let them out in the evening!

 

This started when a neighbours cat narrowly escaped through a small gap in the hedge at the end of the garden (see photo), followed by one of our dogs, who skinned her nose on the farmer's wire fence behind as she was going full speed.... we thought the cat might have learnt their lesson, but then the second time the cat escaped minus a clump of fur, even though it had half the garden head start.. so that was a little too close!

 

Now, we have hedgehogs (living in the hedge I think) and in the summer heat we have to have the windows and doors open, which leads to much chaos late at night. If it were a cat the sound of the dogs crashing through the kitchen on the way out would give it time to make a hasty retreat, but the hogs just curl up... this leads the dogs to bark, whine, paw at it, nose it (yes even though it hurts) they just will not (or can not) leave them alone... (last night it was nearly 01:00 and the neighbours have mentioned it a couple of times now), there is nowhere to put the hogs as the hedges are too tall/wide to put them over and so I've taken to putting them in an old cat carrier in the shed until the dogs have done their thing and gone back inside.

 

Edited July 3, 2025 by Koldov

[HarryMonkey]

We have a Ring camera in the back garden (mostly to keep an eye on the cat flap). This is what it captured last night ... 

[6Foot2]

Link: Rare butterfly hits purple patch at Sussex rewilding project | Butterflies | The Guardian

 

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A conservation project in West Sussex has had its best day on record for rare purple emperor butterfly sighting, and ecologists say they are confident the species is doing well nationally.

 

Purple emperor populations steadily declined over the course of the 20th century but they have been slowly recolonising the landscape at Knepp since 2001, when Isabella Tree and her husband, Charlie Burrell, decided to turn the stretch of former farmland into a “process-led” rewilding project.

 

Ecologists at Knepp recorded 283 purple emperors on 1 July alone. Since the site boasts the UK’s largest population of the butterflies, the ecologists said they were confident the numbers were high nationwide...

 

 

 

[sigma]

On 03/07/2025 at 12:07, Koldov said:

Well, I have quite the quandary... and unfortunately given the subject of this thread I'm not sure my problem will receive any favourable replies!

 

We have moved to a bungalow in a semi-rural village. The previous occupants had lived there quite a few years but from what we can ascertain were an elderly couple and only an old lady lived there in the end.

 

The garden was by no means a jungle, but had suffered somewhat from the obvious lack of regular maintenance. It must have been stunning in it's day, but now everything is overgrown. Down one side (right-hand in the photo) is a very tall hedge (maybe +15ft), a mixture of Box, Lilac, Elder and Hawthorn. On the other side (left-hand in the photo) and at the rear, is a smaller hedge (but massively overgrown and mostly dead on our side) of Box Honeysuckle (the hedge kind obviously, not the climbing kind), it's very wide though as it apparently 'walks' forward if not trimmed. In front of this, which probably hasn't helped, is a massive 20ft fir tree, a large mock orange, 2 x (very leggy) red robin, another Lilac and a couple of unidentified as yet bushes/shrubs etc. There are a few (again mostly dead) conifers in there too.. so on this side we lose at least 6ft of garden! There were also a few box type shrubs dotted around, a Flamingo Willow, some very leggy Lavender, lots of Ivy and various other plants/shrubs.

 

 

The garden isn't big, but as you can see is more of a retired person's garden, or at least someone who can spend every weekend out there. A lot of the trees and shrubs block the countryside views and I guess is more of an introspective garden, whereas we want something a little more open as we moved from a town (think patio slabs, fake grass, and gravel with views of a motorway and a massive Lidl warehouse). Anyway, sadly I think a lot of it will have to go...

 

 

 

The garden has structure, The lavender will need to go and be replaced if you like it.  Once they get leggy, they don’t regenerate from old wood.  Same for most conifers except yew.   With the big conifer at the bottom left? You could take off all the lower branches so that you can walk under it, so would give back space, but keep some height and shape.

 

With the overgrown shrubs, I would try cutting them back really hard in the spring or if they do, after flowering.  Best case, they grow back and you can keep them to your preferred size, at worst, you kill them but no loss if you were going to bin them anyway. Shrubs provide a year round backdrop, and also gives homes to insects and birds.  

 

Is it a windy or exposed situation, so do the trees provide shelter or shade. You might be able to thin the trees with careful pruning so that you can see through them to  extend the views beyond and give dappled shade to increase the planting possibilities.  Do they provide autumn colour/winter interest at all interesting/coloured bark or attractive spring growth?

 

Plants are expensive and it’s easy to spend a lot on something that won’t grow in your conditions.  

 

 

 

 

[Koldov]

Thanks for the reply.

 

Yes it has structure, as I said back in the day it was probably a really beautiful country cottage style garden.

 

Unfortunately I just don't think with the state of the house, there's so much to do we aren't going to have the time/inclination/energy for a couple of years to fight it back in to shape. That and then having the knowledge that it will require a good deal of regular maintenance to keep it that way.

 

At the very end of the garden on the right is a small retaining wall with low conifer hedge, at some point it seems to have had a greenhouse (concrete foundations and slab path found under the detritus) but over the years that had been removed and covered in gravel, then earth, then moss, then ivy, then years of leaves, dead shrubs etc... Took a skip, a couple of full weekends, wooden sleepers, a ton of gravel and a bad back, just to get it in to a presentable state!

 

Unfortunately the lush green foliage down the left hand side (in photo) is just a façade... here is what it looks like behind (losing about 6 or 7ft of garden).

 

 

The fir tree is nearly 20 feet tall, so it's not really the lower branches that are the issue (plus it is growing at an awkward angle). It completely kills all the grass and shrubs around it taking water/nutrients and light, plus it sheds needles covering everything!

 

[sigma]

4 hours ago, Koldov said:

Thanks for the reply.

 

Yes it has structure, as I said back in the day it was probably a really beautiful country cottage style garden.

 

Unfortunately I just don't think with the state of the house, there's so much to do we aren't going to have the time/inclination/energy for a couple of years to fight it back in to shape. That and then having the knowledge that it will require a good deal of regular maintenance to keep it that way.

 

At the very end of the garden on the right is a small retaining wall with low conifer hedge, at some point it seems to have had a greenhouse (concrete foundations and slab path found under the detritus) but over the years that had been removed and covered in gravel, then earth, then moss, then ivy, then years of leaves, dead shrubs etc... Took a skip, a couple of full weekends, wooden sleepers, a ton of gravel and a bad back, just to get it in to a presentable state!

 

Unfortunately the lush green foliage down the left hand side (in photo) is just a façade... here is what it looks like behind (losing about 6 or 7ft of garden).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fir tree is nearly 20 feet tall, so it's not really the lower branches that are the issue (plus it is growing at an awkward angle). It completely kills all the grass and shrubs around it taking water/nutrients and light, plus it sheds needles covering everything!

 

Pics snipped.

 

I see what you mean, go for it!
 

Black plastic works well for holding position to keep the weeds out in the interim. 

 

[LeMarchand]

Baby hedgehogs rescued. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm20vj10212o

[6Foot2]

5Foot2 spotted this Jersey Tiger Moth sheltering on our back door today during a heavy downpour:

 

 

Link: Jersey Tiger | Butterfly Conservation

[6Foot2]

5Foot2 cropped her (small and experimental) planting of potatoes:

 

 

We estimate about 10 lb in all.

[6Foot2]

Link: Hedgehog highways could become requirement for new buildings | Animals | The Guardian

 

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Hedgehog highways and bird-safe glass could become requirements for all new buildings as members of the House of Lords push through amendments to the government’s planning bill.

 

This may cause a headache for ministers, who have tried to avoid burdening developers with laws on nature measures such as “swift bricks”. The new Lords amendments include mandated provision for these nesting boxes, which campaigners say are crucial for the survival of the threatened species.

 

A cross-bench group of peers has tabled amendments to ensure new buildings must have wild animal-friendly design and architecture, including hedgehog highways and bird nesting boxes.

 

These amendments will then be debated in parliament and the peers have written to ministers asking them to adopt the measures...

 

[6Foot2]

Link: Rare ladybird recorded in the New Forest is a UK first - BBC News

 

 

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A "new" ladybird species has been recorded in the UK for the first time following the hot weather over the summer.

 

Prof Russell Wynn, director of Wild New Forest, said the Little Arboreal Ladybirds had been found in moth traps across the New Forest but "there were no confirmed British Records prior to this influx".

 

They normally live in France and continental Europe but have made the trip across the English Channel to settle in Southampton and the New Forest, Prof Wynn said.

 

He added that the UK Species Inventory would now recognise them as new to Britain...

 

[6Foot2]

Link: Night-flying insects over UK in decline, weather radar study reveals | Insects | The Guardian

 

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Scientists have used Met Office radar data to track the trillions of insects flying above the UK for the first time, revealing a concerning decline in nocturnal species.

 

The team repurposed data from the UK’s network of 15 weather surveillance radars, which scan the sky hundreds of times a day.

 

Between 2014 and 2021, daytime insect numbers remained relatively stable or even increased in southern regions, but night-time-airborne insects declined overall, especially in the far north, the analysis suggests.

 

“This is one of the first studies to show how day- and night-flying insects are being affected differently, and how their habitats influence those patterns,” said Dr Mansi Mungee, who led the work as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Leeds, and is now based at Azim Premji University in India. “It’s a crucial step toward understanding where to focus conservation efforts.”

 

Modern radar works by sending out pulses of microwaves that bounce off precipitation and other airborne obstacles. By measuring the time it takes for the signal to return, its intensity and other features, radar can determine the location, number and size of insects in the air.

 

Their results show an average of 11.2tn insects flying between 500 and 700 metres above the ground during daytime hours and just over 5tn at night. Insect abundance was higher in areas with woodlands, grasslands, and even urban areas – but dropped in intensively farmed regions and where artificial lighting was high.

 

Birds, bats and insects were first spotted as mysterious blips on British military surveillance during the second world war, with radar operators so mystified that the puzzling signals were initially known as “angels”...

 

[VeryPC_Nicole]

When wildlife breaks into your home 😅

[Ditto]

I trust the bue-tit isn't plastic too 😄

[Dos_Box]

Went to Leighton Moss yesterday and wasn't disappointed. From Marsh Harriers, Great White (and Little) Egrets, Pintails, Shovellers, Goldeneye and Marsh Tits all being nice to see up close.
We didn't hear any Bitterns unfortunately, but may have heard the otters there too (their call is bird-like) 
Sadly I forget to take a good camera (again), so mobile phone pics only  

 

[LeMarchand]

 

 

Apparently the seagull was hit by the ball but eventually flew off.

[6Foot2]

Link: Wildlife to replace historical figures on banknotes - BBC News

 

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British wildlife will replace historical figures on the next series of Bank of England banknotes - and the public will get their say on which animals and birds will appear.

 

Images of wildlife would be difficult to counterfeit, while also allowing for a celebration of nature across the country, the Bank said.

 

It spells the end for the, sometimes controversial, choice of historical characters which have appeared on £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes for more than 50 years.

 

A panel of experts will draw up a wildlife shortlist to put before the public. The final decision is made by the Bank's governor but it is likely to be a few years before the new notes enter circulation.

 

"The key driver for introducing a new banknote series is always to increase counterfeit resilience, but it also provides an opportunity to celebrate different aspects of the UK," said the Bank's chief cashier, Victoria Cleland, whose signature appears on notes.

 

Nature was the most popular theme in the 44,000 responses to a public consultation and focus groups on banknote imagery.

 

Some 60% of respondents selected it as one of their preferred themes, ahead of architecture and landmarks (56%); historical figures (38%); arts, culture and sport (30%); innovation (23%); and noteworthy milestones (19%), the Bank said...

 

[Ditto]

I went for a walk via a common and woodland to collect some train tickets for a trip to Manchester tomorrow. I for fun decided to put Merlin app on. It picked up:

Blue Tit
Robin
Great Tit
Wren
Wood Pigeon

Chiffchaff
Blackcap
Jackdaw
Blackbird
Crow
Magpie

Goldfinch
Collared Dove
Meadow Pipit

Dunnock

Firecrest

 

16 bird varieties in less than 30 minutes, with the Meadow Pipit and Firecrest being new ones for me.