
Hedge Watch I have been reading (and quoting from)….
Hedgerows by Anne Angus (1987) This is a year diary (like a Blog, but printed in a book) of her local hedgerow in Wales. It inspired me to start this discussion. Hedgerows in the countryside are, in effect, long woodland edges but without a wood behind them. They attract the species you would find at the margins of woods. As in a wood, the ground beneath a hedge is covered with dead and decaying leaves ('leaf litter'). This is protection and food for a huge variety of invertebrates, fungi and bacteria. Hedges also provide safe passageways for small, vulnerable creatures like voles and mice. The hedges in St Andrews Park may be only a substitute for woodland, but they probably give shelter and sources of food for a multitude of creatures, including insects, birds, small mammals and amphibians. They are a vital part of the urban landscape and we need to look after them because they are all we have. The recent Bird Walk (15.2.09) reported 17 birds of which those below are commonly associated with hedgerows. Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Blackbird Starling, Robin, Wren, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Collared Dove, Woodpigeon While the greenfinch nests and feeds in the hedgerow, others may only feed or only nest there. Hopefully some of them will use the nestboxes in the park.
http://www.lingfieldreserves.org.uk/hedge_birds.htm Has anyone seen a hedgehog in the hedge? The hazel in the hedge by Effingham Road is in flower now. Simon posted some pictures. Next time you are passing, see if you can find it – and add your own observations about the hedges too if you like………..
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