Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy

WILDLIFE in Britain has taken a bit of a beating over the last century but one area where the animals and plants have thrived is in gardens.

Over the last few years, one of the fastest-growing industries has been in the creation of garden centres. Most gardeners, even those with only small patches to look after, have set aside a place for wildlife.

More people than ever now have bird tables.

Until very recently we were told to stop feeding the birds once the breeding season started but experts have now decided that we should feed the birds all through the year.

Birds such as blue tits and great tits are considered to be welcome guests and nest boxes are provided for them to use.

The boxes should never face south because they get too hot and also the wood should be left natural and not painted.

Some scientists believe birds have no sense of smell but a few years ago I did some research and discovered that all birds, especially birds of prey, do have one. One bird of prey which has increased rapidly over the last few years has been the sparrowhawk. Most experts do not think that sparrowhawks are responsible for the decline in house sparrows or song thrushes but, whatever the reason both these species, are becoming less common. Very recent research is also showing a slow-down and even a decrease in the population of magpies.

I know that many readers of this column would not agree. I would welcome sightings and comments from gardeners who notice house sparrows, song thrushes, magpies and sparrowhawks which visit their patch.

It is not just birds which fascinate garden watchers. Many people plant bushes especially for butterflies and I would welcome early sightings of insects as spring progresses.

An increasing number of people also take the time to watch wildlife at night. There are more of records of foxes moving through gardens at night and I know of a couple of large gardens in East Lancashire where badgers live and breed.

One real friend of the gardener is the hedgehog. April is the month when most hedgehogs emerge from their hibernation and a favourite item in their diet is slugs.

A friendly neighbourhood hedgehog is a far better way of dealing with slugs than the slug pellets. However "safe" these are, there is always a potential danger to other forms of wildlife.

Naturalists should spend some time exploring their own gardens but they should not forget to walk in the countryside as well.

Most people will get a pleasant surprise when they see how much there is literally on their own doorstep.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.