Wildlife Advice

A. Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust is a small conservation charity, so in most cases, we do not have the resources, facilities or training to rescue wildlife in need. We hope the links on this page help you find someone who can help.

If you find a sick or injured animal which you think needs help, we recommend contacting the RSPCA or Cuan Wildlife. For specific advice on birds, hedgehogs and bats, see the links above.

To report death or illness in garden wildlife, contact Garden Wildlife Health.

A. Occasionally, we all come across the sad sight of a dead animal. The Wildlife Trusts do not offer any services related to the discovery, reporting, or disposal of dead animals, but this page will help you know what to do if you find one.

A. Reporting wildlife crime ensures incidents are formally logged on the police computer, enabling easier research of wildlife crime at a later date if required. There is no reason to approach individuals who are committing offences. If you witness a wildlife crime taking place, call 999. For a non-emergency, call 101.

• State you are reporting a crime
• Give relevant details
• Obtain an incident number
• Ask to be updated with the results

If you would like to give information regarding a crime anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

To report an environmental incident, contact Natural Resources Wales.

For more information on wildlife crime, click here.

A. Head to the BTO website which has more information on why birds are ringed and an online facility for reporting the ring you have found.

As long as you haven’t introduced additional frogs into your pond, there is really no such thing as too much spawn. It’s a tough life for a tadpole - they have lots of natural predators and are at risk of various amphibian diseases. Because of this, female frogs lay thousands of eggs each year and only a tiny fraction of them will survive to adulthood. Your pond may contain a big black mass of writhing tadpoles but this is how it is meant to be. Just kick back and enjoy watching these amazing animals.

Moving spawn between ponds, especially wildlife ponds, can be dangerous for wildlife. It helps deadly amphibian disease and invasive non-native pond plants spread. Also ponds that already contain spawn may not be able to support the increased population if more spawn is added. Ponds that don’t have any spawn are unlikely to be suitable for frogs - if they were suitable, the spawn would already be there.

A. Find out here.

There are two main reasons why badgers might dig in your garden - foraging for food and territory marking.

Food

Sometimes this digging is seasonal; i.e. when the weather has been particularly dry or cold. The badgers are getting desperate, trying to find enough of their invertebrate prey to survive. In these situations, it should stop fairly quickly, once the food has been exhausted or the weather changes.

If badgers are coming in regularly to scavenge bird food from beneath your bird feeder, your best bet is to try and prevent the food from spilling onto the floor. There are two ways to do this:

1. Install a tray beneath each feeder to catch discarded food, for example: vinehousefarm.co.uk/ring-pull-seed-tray
2. Provide food which generates less mess. Certain birds will discard food they do not like and some seed can cause quite a mess. You could try something like this: vinehousefarm.co.uk/won-t-grow-mix which is generally all eaten, therefore generating little in wastage.

You could also try putting a cage around the bottom of the feeder, such as vinehousefarm.co.uk/ground-guard, but bearing in mind how strong badgers are and they digging capabilities, this is unlikely to stop them on its own! You could obviously also try fencing them out of the garden.

You can also avoid scattering peanuts (a favourite food) at dusk; if you do it in the morning, it will be gone by the time it gets dark.

Territory defense

Badgers create latrines in their territory, which are used as territory markers, also known as 'dungpits'. These are obvious, as they are scrapes filled with big piles of poo! Whilst these can be unpleasant, the area used will be unlikely to move, unless something serious happens to the resident badgers. Once badgers have made their latrine site, it is very hard to get them to move; it is probably best to try and live with it.

It’s worth saying that other animals will also make holes, including squirrels, rabbits, woodpeckers, rooks and crows, so it’s worth being certain of the culprit. Night watches or putting out a trail camera should provide that information for you

There is a lot more advice on this topic here: badgergroup.org.uk/garden.pdf.

Mute Swans are resident in an area all year round and are very territorial; as a result, they will vigorously defend their home and family against intruders. Any incoming swan will be chased out of an occupied territory. If this doesn’t work, a fight may ensue, but eventually, the intruder normally leaves.

Mute Swans are dedicated parents, caring for their cygnets for many months, protecting them from predators and giving them the best possible start in life. However, all young must leave home some time! With a Mute Swan, this usually happens in late winter. Some adolescent swans need more encouragement than others to move on, and this can lead an adult bird to get rather physical with the youngster. Once the adolescent gets the hint, it will move on.

Although these interactions can seem brutal, it is completely normal and natural behaviour, and the swans are best left well alone. Handling Mute Swans is potentially dangerous and should only be done by trained professionals.

Badgers are known to prey on hedgehogs, especially when food is scarce and they are in competition with each other. However, the two species can also co-exist where feeding and nesting sites are plentiful. There is no scientific backing for badgers being a main driver in the decline of hedgehogs. For more information about this topic, read the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) and People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) position statement on the topic.