Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2014 | Page 64

COUNTRY LIFE

Photo: Ba dger by Phil Mclea n

WILDLIFE IN THE
NIGHT GARDEN
A

s days get shorter, many
of us may be preparing to
say goodbye to the natural
wonders we’ve been able to
enjoy in our gardens during the spring
and summer months. But it doesn’t
mean that wildlife activity disappears.
Deborah Griffiths from Hampshire &
Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust advises us on
nocturnal wildlife and what to look out
for.
Far from hiding as the weather gets
cooler many species are becoming more
active in their preparation for the winter
months to come and making use of the
longer evenings to put on the weight and
64

www.visitilife.com

Deborah Griffiths, Hampshire &
Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

build the shelters that will serve as their
winter protection.
Like many mammals hedgehogs
are very active foraging; the young
hedgehogs born earlier in the year
need to weigh 600g to survive winter
hibernation. Slugs and snails which are
generally more plentiful in the wetter,
cooler atmosphere will be easier for
the hedgehogs to find as will soft fruits,
earthworms and insects that make up
their natural autumnal diet.

You may find a part of your garden
has been ‘dug over’ now the weather is
wetter. These holes are usually made by
foxes and badgers looking for larvae,
earthworms, slugs and even flower bulbs
and bird seed and peanuts that have
dropped from the bird feeder.
Autumn is a busy time for bats which
will still be flying and feasting on insects.
Bats don’t hibernate but they do go into
a torpor in their winter roosts so they will
need plenty of food before they go into
this state.
Amphibians and reptiles will also be
feeding for winter and looking for places
to shelter. If you are building a bonfire,