Year-round wildlife guide
British wildlife through the seasons.
What you are most likely to meet on walks or in your garden right now, how to help your wild neighbours, and the seasonal hazards rescues ask everyone to watch for.
Now · Mar – May
Spring: Nesting season, fledgling birds & newborn leverets
What you will spot
Fledgling blackbirds, robins and thrushes hopping on lawns; fox cubs playing near dens at dusk; female hedgehogs gathering leaves for breeding nests; solitary baby hares (leverets) tucked into meadow grass.
How to help in your garden
Hold off trimming dense hedges until late summer so active nests aren't disturbed. Leave shallow dishes of fresh water with a few pebbles in the bottom so bees and fledgling birds can climb out safely.
Seasonal hazard
Strimmers, lawnmowers and garden forks: always walk through long grass before mowing, and never disturb a pile of leaves or compost heap without checking for a nesting mother hedgehog first.
Key animals: Garden birds · Hedgehogs · Squirrels, rabbits & small mammals · Foxes
Now · Jun – Aug
Summer: Heatwaves, grounded swifts & garden netting hazards
What you will spot
Swifts, swallows and house martins swooping low; young gulls on coastal roofs and pavements; bats hunting midges at dusk; hedgehogs foraging on warm evenings.
How to help in your garden
During dry spells, natural worms and beetles burrow deep out of reach. Put out a shallow terracotta plant saucer of water at ground level every evening and a dish of meaty cat or dog food for hedgehogs.
Seasonal hazard
Fruit cages and football goal netting trap hundreds of hedgehogs, foxes and owls every summer. Raise all garden netting at least 30cm off the ground and tie football nets up when not in use. Note: a grounded swift can NEVER be launched by throwing it into the air — always call a swift/bird rescue.
Key animals: Garden birds · Bats · Swans, ducks & seabirds · Hedgehogs
Now · Sep – Nov
Autumn: Late-litter autumn hedgehogs, Bonfire Night & deer rut
What you will spot
Juvenile "autumn orphan" hedgehogs frantically feeding to reach hibernation weight; migrating waterfowl and thrushes; roe and fallow deer active along woodland edges at dawn and dusk.
How to help in your garden
Leave a wild corner of fallen leaves and log piles untouched — they provide both winter hibernation sites and the beetles hedgehogs need. Put out wet cat/dog food and kitten biscuits every night to help young hogs reach 600g+.
Seasonal hazard
Bonfires look like a five-star hotel to a hedgehog. Always build your bonfire on the day of lighting, or move the entire pile before striking a match. Any hedgehog under about 450–500g (roughly the size of a large mango) found in late October or November is too small to survive hibernation and needs a rescue.
Key animals: Hedgehogs · Deer · Owls & birds of prey · Badgers
Now · Dec – Feb
Winter: Frozen ponds, winter storms & hibernating wildlife
What you will spot
Wintering fieldfares, redwings and waxwings; owls hunting longer twilight hours; coastal seals hauling out on beaches after winter gales; occasional hedgehogs waking briefly during mild spells.
How to help in your garden
Keep bird feeders clean (wash weekly to prevent trichomonosis) and provide high-energy suet, sunflower hearts and unfrozen water. If you accidentally uncover a hibernating hedgehog or dormouse, cover it straight back up with its dry leaves.
Seasonal hazard
Never smash ice on a garden pond with a hammer — the shockwaves kill frogs and fish wintering at the bottom. Instead, hold a saucepan of hot water on the surface until it melts a hole so toxic gases can escape.
Key animals: Garden birds · Owls & birds of prey · Seals & dolphins · Hedgehogs
Get involved
Four ways to help local rescues, with no animal to rescue
Save old towels and newspapers
Wildlife hospitals go through hundreds of newspapers and clean bath towels every week for lining cages and incubators. Drop a bundle off at your nearest rescue.
Volunteer as a transport driver
Many people who find an injured animal do not drive. Offering even two hours a month as an on-call volunteer driver is one of the biggest gifts a rescue can receive.
Cut a 13cm “hedgehog highway”
Hedgehogs travel up to a mile every night to forage. A 13cm × 13cm gap at the bottom of your garden fence links habitats and keeps them off busy roads.
Check rescue wishlists
Almost every grassroots rescue runs on donations. Meaty cat or dog food (never fish for hedgehogs), kitchen roll and gloves are needed all year round.
Keep a local emergency card. Search your postcode on the finder, then tap “Save my local emergency card” under the results for a one-page sheet of your nearest rescues and the first-aid rules.