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Step 1 : Create Hedgehog Highways

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In order to thrive, hedgehogs need an area the size of between 8-14 football pitches to freely roam and look for food and shelter. In a single evening the average adult hedgehog will walk around 1-2km, usually in a familiar pattern, visiting known friendly stop offs en route.

 

Therefore, should you have a known hedgehog visitor (that you have likely affectionately called 'Herb' or 'Prickles'or 'Spike' for example) and you have seen him / her in your garden at differing times of the evening - the likelihood is that its not the same hedgehog you are seeing at different times! That is,  it may have been Herb at 9.30pm but it was Prickles at 2am! Herb was likely somewhere else on his evening amble 'route' at 2am scoffing someone else's cat food! 

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Of course, this is only true when the area within which Herb can move is large enough. Therefore, the single most important thing you can do to help local hedgehogs is to make your garden / land more connected. This is especially important in tightly knit urban areas and estates such as Walmley. Otherwise, Herb and his friends get isolated and turn to busy road crossings in order to forage - an necessity which rarely ends well. 

 

In simple terms, a hedgehog highway is a small gap in your fence / wall / gate, kept open, to increase hedgehog permeability and connectiveness. Ideally these should be 13cm x 13cm to allow for an adult hog to pass through comfortably (but to thwart the efforts of the neighbourhood cats and foxes). There are signs you can purchase from a variety of suppliers including BHPS at a cost of around 2 pounds which are useful to display when moving house for instance, or simply reminding neighbours - however, these aren't essential. Maintaining gaps of an appropriate size under fences etc may be simply all you need. Provision of pipes to deter local cats is also a good idea. 

 

Therefore, if you are able to do nothing else for the hogs (e.g. perhaps you / a friend likes wildlife but does not want it on their lawn?) perhaps you would then consider simply ensuring there are gaps around your property allowing the hogs to cross freely? If you do not wish them to stay around then simply provide nothing for them of interest and they will soon learn the route and pass through on their way elsewhere. Everybody wins!

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This initiative has been inspired by the work of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and Hedgehog Street 

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We will also be sharing our data with Ecorecord, the ecological database for Birmingham and the Black Country as well as the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country. 

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Footnote on rats: One of the main concerns we hear from residents against encouraging of hedgehog highways is the fear of attracting rats. I am afraid to say that rats will find their own way in if they wish to and generally burrow their way in regardless. Avoid feeding the birds / hedgehog for a couple of days and chances are any visiting rats will soon move on. 

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Below - screenshots from recent school talk around need for hedgehog highways in the local area to allow local hog community to freely roam. We discussed the barriers to hedgehog movement such as roads and walls and fences and what we can do to help improve permeability of estates so that crossing of the main roads was negated. 

 

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