23rd September 2009

THERE’S SOMETHING PRICKLY IN YOUR GARDEN

The RSPB’s Make Your Nature Count – 2009 results for Eastern England
In Eastern England, hedgehogs are hogging the region’s gardens, according to participants in the RSPB’s first summer wildlife survey [note 1]. A third of all people who took part regularly see hedgehogs in their garden, more than the national average of a quarter. In fact, in Huntingdonshire, an amazing 42% of participants are frequently visited by hedgehogs.

The results of the Make Your Nature Count survey also revealed that you’re far more likely to see foxes in urban than in rural gardens. Nationally, 38% of people taking part in urban areas recorded regular fox sightings, compared to 23% in rural areas. In Essex, this figure rose to 46% seeing foxes regularly.

Essex was the top county in the region for badger spotting, with nearly one in ten participants reporting badgers in their gardens and with 5% seeing them regularly.
More than 62,000 people took part in Make Your Nature Count across the UK, with over 10,000 of those in Eastern England.

This new wildlife stock-take is the first time the RSPB has asked for information about wildlife other than birds visiting gardens in summer. Participants were also asked to record garden visitors such as squirrels, frogs and toads.
Aggie Rothon, the regional Make Your Nature Count project manager, said: “We’ve been surprised at the diversity of wildlife in our region’s gardens. Many people are seeing foxes, hedgehogs and badgers on a regular basis, which are species perhaps more associated with the wider countryside.

“For 30 years, Big Garden Birdwatch has provided the RSPB with information of winter bird numbers, but this survey will start to build an even bigger picture of garden wildlife throughout the year.”

The survey, which took place in June, has also revealed that most gardens have on average 10 different species of birds present at that time of year. The blackbird is the most frequent visitor recorded in 94% of all gardens, followed by the woodpigeon in 80%. [note 2]

Because of the time of year, the survey also asked people to look out for some of our breeding birds and summer migrants. Overall, 42% of people recorded baby blackbirds and 22% had young robins. Young song thrushes were recorded in 5% of gardens. Song thrush numbers have declined by 50% since the 1970’s but in recent years have started to make a bit of a recovery. [note 3]

Of the summer migrants, swifts were seen over one in five gardens, a good sign they are breeding nearby. 12% saw house martins and 7% had swallows. The decline of summer visitors is of great concern to the RSPB. Swift numbers have declined by almost a third since 1994. The cause of the decline is believed to be loss of nest sites through building improvement or demolition. [note 3]

Aggie added: “Gardens are an excellent habitat for a range of different species. As more and more people realise the importance of feeding and gardening for wildlife they are delighted by the variety of species visiting their garden, regardless of size and location. There is also a growing appetite for people creating ponds, wildlife areas and feeding areas and this is reflected in the results of the survey.”

Visit the RSPB website www.rspb.org.uk/naturecount for the UK-wide Make Your Nature Count results. For more information on gardening for wildlife, log onto www.rspb.org.uk/hfw