Edgmond Hedgehog Survey Report 2021 by Jon Lloyd
Introduction
It has been another eventful year in the Edgmond Hedgehog Conservation Area. We have as usual, responded to a number of call outs with respect to sick or injured animals. On more than one occasion we have found ourselves driving to the Cuan Wildlife Rescue Centre, at Much Wenlock only to return with one or more rescue animals to release! We have continued to advise our community on food and many other hedgehog issues and were happy enough to give away hedgehog hibernation boxes to EWG members earlier this year. All this undertaken in order to help our resident Hedgehog population at a time when hedgehog numbers have dropped very significantly across the UK. We have completed hedgehog survey in the village and had a good response to our request for volunteers to take part. We would like to thank everybody who checked out their gardens during the hedgehog survey week.
Results
Twenty-one people(households) took part in our year 2 survey. During the course of the survey period (nine days), they recorded a total number of 21 hedgehogs seen. In the same period last year only 12 were recorded. This is a 75% improvement on the previous year. There are many factors to be considered in our survey. For example, were the hedgehogs in garden A just seen again on another night in garden B? Did the covid lockdowns reduce the number of cars driving in and around our village? Etc. Were our volunteers this year just better at finding the hedgehogs? We have also released 6 hedgehogs into our community gardens which will also be having its impact on our survey results. (Please bear in mind that a similar number of Hedgehogs were release last year).
So, the figures really only give us an indication of the situation. So, if we are going to have an H factor like the R factor for covid it would look like this.
2020 H=0.57
2021 H=1.0
Summary
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EWG continues to raise awareness of hedgehog issues in our community.
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Our local animals are able to move more freely between gardens and open spaces in 2021 now that more hedgehog highways have been created.
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Our hedgehogs do get supplementary food in some gardens which is a considerable help given that in the last few years we have seen rising temperatures and much longer drought times. These climate conditions severely effect the availability of natural food sources.
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We are continuing to provide shelters for hedgehog breeding and hibernation and the number of gardens with this facility increases each year.
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We believe that there is room for optimism over our survey results and that our joint efforts are helping to support the hedgehog population in Edgmond.
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We also know that there is no room for complacency. EWG will continue working with the community in reminder of this year and into 2022 to ensure that these prickly little garden friends get the best support in Edgmond.
Notes:
EWG now has over a hundred members. If you are a member and would like to sign up to supporting our Hedgehog Conservation Initiative then feel free to write/email Jslloyd@btinternet.com and request a Hedgehog Box. We have a few left and people who joined later in the year may have missed out on the offer.
Whether you are a member of not, you are entitled to a Hedgehog Highway sign. You can get a free sign if you send us a photo showing a constructed gap/space/tunnel etc that you have made in order to connect your garden with a neighbour or to an open space. Yes, I know hedgehogs can’t read! So, the sign is there to raise awareness with passers-by on the road or visitors to the garden, so please put them where they can be seen.
