Temperatures have dropped this week, one of the key triggers for animals to begin their hibernation along with day length (or photoperiod). Animals will have been stockpiling food since the end of summer, building up their fat reserves so they can survive for months without eating. These creatures will also have been looking for the perfect spot to hibernate, lining it with leaves to help keep their den warm.
Hedgehogs are one of the species here on Alderney that hibernates for the winter, although sometimes we do see them over warm periods in winter so sometimes as swap nest site (which they have been shown to do at least once over the course of their hibernation). During the winter animals that hibernate enter a state of ‘extreme sleep’ called torpor –their heart rate, body temperature and metabolism drop significantly, saving them energy.
As we approach the 5th November do make sure to check bonfire or leaf piles for hedgehogs and do not build piles until the day you are going to light them. If you have to stockpile garden waste in advance of burning try putting chicken wire around the bottom to deter any visitors, and before lighting lift each section with a broom to check for wildlife. Better still leaf your leaf piles for wildlife! They make a perfect home for all sorts of garden insects and therefore food for those animals that eat them.
Placing a hedgehog house or even piling fallen leaves under low-lying shrubs could provide the perfect safe den for your garden’s hedgehogs to cosy up in for winter.