Supporting Wildlife in Autumn: Simple Ways to Make a Difference
As the days grow shorter and the air turns crisp, autumn brings big changes for our local wildlife. From hedgehogs preparing for hibernation to birds fuelling up for migration, this season is all about gathering energy and finding shelter. By lending a helping hand, we can make life a little easier for the creatures that share our gardens, parks, and green spaces.
Feeding and Sheltering Garden Birds
Birds need extra energy and safe spaces in autumn to build fat reserves, prepare for migration, and find shelter from the cold and predators.
How to Help:
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Food: Offer a mix of seeds, fat balls, suet cakes and mealworms. Offering energy-rich food provides extra calories and helps give wild birds the boost they need in colder months.
- Water: Keep bird baths or shallow water dishes topped up daily.
- Feeders: Use a mix of tray, hanging and caged feeders to welcome different species.
- Shelter: Plant hedges, trees or install bird boxes to provide roosting and shelter from predators.
Smith’s Tip: Avoid Pesticides, these chemicals harm the insects that wild birds rely on for food. Go chemical-free where possible.
Supporting Hedgehogs
Hedgehogs need safe spaces and extra food in autumn to build up fat reserves, find secure hibernation spots, and survive the long winter months ahead.
How to Help:
- Shelter: Leave a wild corner with logs, leaves and twigs, or place a hedgehog house to provide a safe spot for hibernation.
- Food: Special hedgehog food is best. You can also use meaty wet cat food (non-fish) and fresh water — never milk.
- Access: Make small holes in fences to help them travel safely between gardens.
- Avoid Slug Pellets: These are toxic to hedgehogs.
Creating Homes for Insects
Insects need safe places to shelter through the colder months in autumn, using leaf piles, hollow stems, and log stacks and late-flowering plants for survival, and they play a vital role in the food chain by supporting birds, mammals, and other wildlife.
How to Help:
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Bug Hotels: Build a safe hideaway with wood, acorns, bamboo and leaves.
- Don’t Over-tidy: Leave some garden areas untidy with leaf piles and seed heads.
- Plants: Grow late-flowering plants like ivy, sedum and asters for autumn nectar.
⚠️Autumn Dangers to Wildlife
As much as autumn brings opportunities to help, it also comes with hidden dangers for wildlife. Being aware of them means you can take small steps to keep animals safe in your garden.
What to be aware of:
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Bonfires: Always check carefully before lighting a bonfire or build it on the day you plan to light it. Piles of wood are perfect shelters for hedgehogs, frogs and insects.
- Strimmers and Mowers: Leaf piles and long grass can hide hedgehogs and frogs. Always check before mowing or strimming late in the season.
- Salt and Chemicals: Gritting salt and garden chemicals can poison or harm animals. Opt for wildlife-friendly alternatives wherever possible.
- Garden Netting & Litter: Loose netting, plastic, and litter can trap or injure birds, hedgehogs, and other animals. Keep netting taut or stored away, and make sure litter is cleared regularly.
Get your FREE Autumn Guide today!
To help you do your part, we have created an Autumn Wildlife Guide with easy checklists, DIY Tips and fun activities for the whole family.
Here are some fun challenges for you and your family to do through the autumn season:
🦔Spot a hedgehog this month — snap a photo!
🐞Share your bug hotel creation on social media with us!
🌿 Plant late-flowering plants like ivy to feed pollinators.
📝 Keep a wildlife journal: note what birds, insects, or animals visit.
By making just a few simple changes, you can turn your garden into a safe haven for wildlife this autumn. From helping hungry birds to supporting hedgehogs & insects, every little effort makes a bit difference.
Pop into your local Smith’s Pets to find everything you need; from feeders, fat balls and suet cakes to hedgehog food and otherwildlife essentials.