Reminder to leave out fresh water for garden wildlife in hot weather

[OneBusyFinch]

With more hot weather forecast, a bowl or two of water in the garden for wildlife could be a lifesaver.

Shallow dish for hedgehogs (they can’t manage deep water)

Add some stones for bees to climb out if they fall in

Too up morning and evening — it evaporates fast

Bit of shade keeps it cooler for longer

Takes two minutes, makes a massive difference.

Big thank you if you’re already leaving out fresh water!

Morning bump. There was a segment on the Today programme on radio 4 this morning about the influx of dehydrated birds, hedgehogs and other mammals into rescue centres

That's awful news

It is awful. They were encouraging people to leave out fresh water for all wildlife

Love this!!

Here’s the link to the article version of the segment I heard in the Today programme

Have been doing this for a few years now and really love seeing the wildlife coming to drink and splash around. I'd also add to put some water higher up if you can, out of reach of predators.

Sad to say we found a dead blackbird on our patio yesterday evening. It hadn't been got by a cat; presumably collapsed in the terrible heat we had here (West Midlands).

I have 3 containers/ dishes of fresh water nearby,refilled each day but obviously this didn't help the poor bird.
I imagine there are plenty more being overcome as their habitats shrivel up.

We had a visitor to the water (apart from MaleCat)
A squirrel
Even though they wreck my potted plants by burying things in the compost they are welcome to slake their thirst.

We have loads of brambles that are ripe (I don't like them but I leave the ones at the pear tree for wildlife )
I bought some fatballs for the birds as the garden is crisp so probably barren

Evening bump. Thanks to everyone who is leaving out fresh water for wildlife.

To misquote Bananarama ‘it’s a bloody cruel summer for wildlife’

Our hedgehogs have largely disappeared . DD saw one on the drive abuot a week ago (late at night, she works in a pub) but none in the back garden for weeks despite food, water, shelter, holes in fences. Not too many small birds either, lots of magpies, jackdaws, pigeons. The main user of our water bath is still the cat.

I found a dead bluetit yesterday. heatwaves have decimated our wildlife but the thing I don't get is (obviously not on this thread) but people in general do not realise that wild creatures need water just as we do! Its not rocket science water is essential. Had to resort to bullying management of this large wood in north london to leave water 💧 out !! their staff have got their brains stuck up somewhere 😌
saw a poor hedgehog trying to forage during the day , very unusual, animals cant just turn on a tap!!🙄

Really sad 😢

Morning bump

I bought yet another terracotta saucer, another smaller one, to go out in the back garden as over the last couple of days I've seen signs that I might have been visited by a hedgehog, black poos on the path, definitely not cat or bird poo so I am pinning my hopes that it is definitely a hedgehog.

I have two bird baths and a small wildlife pond that the pigeons like. I have noticed, however, that I have hardly any birds coming into the garden and have put it down to the excessive heat.

I did have water out in the front garden but nothing seemed to be drinking from it and I had to keep tipping into one of the plant pots as it was going green really quickly so I haven't put it out for about a week now.

Before the heatwave, the bird baths were full of starlings and several of the smaller birds, I don't even see them drinking so I don't know where they have gone. Also my pair of blackbirds haven't been around for about three weeks. I have a bag of apples in the fridge waiting for them to reappear.

I miss them all. 😣

We’ve just had a magpie down in the birdbath. Just the one, though.

In happier news, we saw a bat last night feeding above our fig tree. We let it get infested with caterpillars this year and they are now a legion of fig-tree skeletoniser moths.

How kind of you - v much hoping it is a hedgehog! It will be so grateful for fresh cold water - it’s so hard for them to access when we enclose our gardens in fences and walls

Morning bump

Evening bump

here’s a plea from the BHPS ( British Hedgehog Preservation Society to leave out fresh water for wildlife

I share a beach hut with a friend and along with all the shite hawks around there are lots of crows. If anyone drops so much as a crumb on the ground, hordes of them appear from absolutely nowhere, then there's flocks of starlings too.

My friend has a dog and we always put a bowl of water out for any dogs passing and last week, we watched a large crow drink from the bowl several times and then actually stood in it and laid in it.

It was so funny to see, since then we've had more visits although it is difficult to tell whether it's the same crow or different ones.

There are taps down there for fresh water for people to use and where the tap runs for longer than you need sometimes, there is always a large puddle of water there which all the birds know and use, just in case anyone thought there was no other water available apart from what we and other dog people leave around.

😆

In addition to water i drop chunks of 🍉 watermelon in nearby wood for squirrels and insects

No rain here in south East. Keep up the good work peeps 😊

@OneBusyFinch are you alright ?!

Hi @wavingfuriously thanks for asking! Extra work on at the moment, thanks for bumping it for me!

I'm loving the squirrels snacking on watermelon.

Literally just nearly trod on the hedgehog in the garden. I was bringing the washing in and we made each other jump out of our skin.

Water bowls all topped up for when he / she returns when the coast is clear.

Late bump - loving the watermelon drops from @wavingfuriously and that @Pistacheeo has a hedgehog visitor!

thank you all for leaving out fresh water for wildlife