Out for a walk after the various festivities?  Perhaps you might be able to help the People’s Trust for Endangered Species by undertaking a hedgerow survey.   Across the UK there are many, many hedgerows.  Hedgerows can Provide shelter, homes, perches for a variety of animals,  Food for mammals, birds and invertebrates in the form of flowers, berries and nuts.   Harbour insects that act as important pollinators of wild flowers and crops. Help to reduce flooding and soil erosion,  Help mitigate air and water pollution levels  Store carbon  Act as corridors along which animals, such as hedgehogs and dormice can travel across the countryside. The Trust is looking for volunteers to fill in a survey form and record features of their chosen hedge, such as  the height,  width,  structure and  which tree species are present.  The results will help the trust to build a picture of the health of our hedgerows and how they are changing over time.  To find out more and to take part in the Great British Hedgerow Survey, visit the PTES website for more information : https://hedgerowsurvey.ptes.org/about-our-hedge-surveys

By 2016, some 36.7 million vehicles were registered for use on the roads of the U.K.   Whilst sound statistics are available on human deaths from car / vehicle accidents ,  there is less reliable information on roadkill - the number of various animals killed on our roads each year.  Some information can be found in government statistics (link opens a PDF file), which suggest that deer are the largest category of casualties - though foxes and badgers are not far behind. Apart from the government stats, there are a number of other organisations like the People’s trust for endangered species (PTES) and Project Splatter that are trying to gather detailed information on roadkill, both have web sites and apps for recording details of roadkill. Read more...