On the 12th November 2019, two of our Ecological Consultants, Lorna Rowe and Eleanor Delaney, attended an event organised by the Warwickshire Rural Hub on ‘Habitats for Hedgehogs’. The event was hosted by Dr Deborah Wright from Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, who has the rather wonderful title of Senior Hedgehog Officer.
The event entailed a walk around Gate Farm in Kenilworth, followed by a presentation from Deborah on our prickly pals. We hope to share some of what we have learnt from the day, with the aim of inspiring more of you to help conserve hedgehogs!
Hedgehog Ecology
The UK is home to only one species of hedgehog, the Western European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), although there are total of 17 species of hedgehog found across the world.
The Western European hedgehog’s diet comprises mainly invertebrates, with earthworms and beetles being particular favourites; they have also been known to feed on the eggs of ground nesting birds. Hedgehogs have extremely poor eyesight and so rely on their excellent sense of smell and hearing to acquire prey. In the UK, hedgehogs are generally active between April and October, going into hibernation as the weather gets cooler in November. Hedgehogs tend to build hibernation nests beneath dense hedgerows and construct them from fallen leaf litter, with a preference for oak, lime and cherry leaves. During hibernation, hedgehogs can slow their heart rate from c.288bpm to an astonishing 14bpm, as well as slow their breathing rate by c.75%.
As the weather warms up around April, hedgehogs will emerge from hibernation and begin to search for a mate. Hedgehogs are pregnant for just 4 weeks and hoglets (baby hedgehogs) are born with their spikes contained beneath a layer of skin, these then protrude a few hours after birth. After approximately 8 weeks hoglets head off on their own to explore the world. Hedgehogs will make ‘day nests’ to protect themselves during the daytime, when they are asleep. They construct these from long grass which they pull over themselves to form a protective ball. During the night is when hedgehogs are mostly active, and they can have an impressive range of c.50ha in well-connected habitat. Hedgehogs generally prefer to move along linear features, such as hedgerows, which provide shelter from predation and are likely to attract invertebrate prey.
Hedgehog Declines
Unfortunately, the UK’s hedgehog population is now experiencing a serious decline. Since the year 2000, hedgehog numbers have declined by up to 30% in urban areas and as much as 50% in rural areas (The State of Britain’s Hedgehogs report, 2018). This worrying decline has been attributed to a number of contributing factors, including;
Habitat loss and fragmentation: particularly the loss of hedgerows and long grass which hedgehog require to move and nest, as well as fragmentation of habitats resulting from erecting impermeable fences.
Roadkill: this issue is particularly poignant in rural areas where people travel along country lanes at high speeds with limited lighting. It is estimated that c.200,000 hedgehogs are killed on roads each year.
Injuries: caused by mowers and strimmers, as well as litter.
Lack of or contaminated food: resulting from pesticide or slug pellet usage, which can cause direct impacts or indirect impacts due to reduced numbers of invertebrate prey.
Climate change: as weather patterns are changing leading to warmer winters, hedgehogs are awaking more frequently from hibernation and in doing so are expending energy which cannot be replaced due to lack of food sources available at that time of year. In addition to this, increased rainfall is resulting in higher numbers of flooded hibernation nests.
Disease and parasites: hedgehogs are susceptible to a number of diseases and parasites, including tuberculosis, foot and mouth and lugworm, all of which can be fatal.
Competition: badgers compete with hedgehogs for food resources and are also known to predate upon hedgehogs. Badgers and hedgehogs have lived alongside one another for millions of years. Whilst there is an association between the two species, there is not a direct correlation in regard to hedgehog declines.
What can be done to help conserve hedgehogs?
Thankfully, lots of work is now underway to help conserve our remaining hedgehog populations, including large scale monitoring of populations and campaigns to raise awareness. But what can you do at home, or as a landowner or developer to help conserve hedgehogs? Here are our key take home messages:
1. Say no to the mow! – During the spring/summer months leave areas of long grass, particularly adjacent to linear features such as hedgerows, shrub borders or fence lines for hedgehogs to make day nests. This in turn will attract more insects and provide more food resources.
2. If you must mow, be sure to check! – In areas which require mowing be sure to walk ahead of the mower or strimmer prior to undertaking works in case of nesting hedgehogs.
3. Be less tidy! – during the autumn months leave areas of fallen leaves (where safe to do so) for hedgehogs to use to build their hibernation nests. Log piles are also great for shelter and attracting prey but please check if you’re lighting a bonfire.
4. Location, Location, Location! – If you have purchased a cosy hedgehog house, be sure to place it in an area with plenty of cover, ideally along a linear feature, and near to trees so plenty of leaf litter will be available for nest making.
5. Hedgehog highway code – make holes in the base of your fences (ideally 13cm x 13cm) to allow hedgehogs to move through your garden, and if you have a pond, place a ramp in it to enable hedgehogs to climb back out if they fall in.
6. Hedge’hog’row - If hedgerows are present on your land, ensure that they are; well connected to other hedgerows, comprise native species to attract prey, are densely planted at the base, have a scrub understory or adjacent unmown field margin, and contain trees for leaf litter. Hedgerows should ideally be cut on one side each alternate year.
7. Limit use of chemicals – limit use orcheck for hedgehog friendly alternatives to pesticides, slug pellets containing metaldehyde and rodenticides.
8. Slow down – and take care when driving at night on country lanes!
For more information on hedgehogs please visit the following resources:
