{"id":20219,"date":"2020-05-02T19:26:18","date_gmt":"2020-05-02T18:26:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/research-blog\/?p=20219"},"modified":"2021-11-15T10:47:46","modified_gmt":"2021-11-15T10:47:46","slug":"how-to-discover-the-wildlife-wonders-of-your-own-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/research-blog\/2020\/05\/02\/how-to-discover-the-wildlife-wonders-of-your-own-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"How to discover the wildlife wonders of your own garden"},"content":{"rendered":"

Being stuck at home during lockdown could be a golden opportunity to reset your connection with nature say ecologists Mark Fellowes and Ian Rotherham. If you\u2019re lucky, you\u2019ll still have access to a garden. Over 85%\u00a0of homes<\/a> in the UK have one, but if you don\u2019t, hopefully there\u2019s a park nearby. Take time to just sit, watch and learn.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Blue tit in feeder, Photo: Mark Fellowes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Gardens and parks provide a tremendous resource for biodiversity, and they\u2019re perfect places to observe and reflect on nature. Start with birds. Globally, around a\u00a0fifth<\/a> of all bird species are found in urban areas, and they are the entry drug to a world of natural history wonder.\u00a0 Almost\u00a0half<\/a>\u00a0of UK households feed birds at some point, and they spend around\u00a0\u00a3250 million<\/a>\u00a0doing this each year. It\u2019s not just blue tits and robins either. In Reading, we found that around\u00a0one in 20 households<\/a>\u00a0have enticed red kites into gardens with offerings of\u00a0meat<\/a>, bringing a bird of prey that was once almost extinct into the heart of British domestic life.<\/p>\n

Most of us learn the names of common species but why stop there? Citizen scientists collecting data are\u00a0often central to research<\/a>. Indoor bird watchers have helped reveal the inner lives of garden birds, and there are\u00a0ample opportunities<\/a>\u00a0for budding urban naturalists to do the same for butterflies, hedgehogs, toads and frogs.<\/p>\n

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Spring into nature<\/h2>\n

Early spring is a very good time to start.\u00a0Chiffchaffs<\/a>, among the first spring migrants to the UK, have arrived from southern Europe, and the peak bird migration period is about to begin. The earliest butterflies have emerged. The sulphur yellow\u00a0brimstone<\/a>\u00a0is perhaps easiest to spot as it patrols gardens, while queen bumblebees busy themselves with nest building. The dawn chorus is building, and the\u00a0sparse morning traffic<\/a>\u00a0means that blackbird, great tit and robin songs can be better heard. Wood pigeons and collared doves are collecting nesting material and blue tits are exploring nest boxes.<\/p>\n

If you can get out, why not tend your garden so that it benefits wildlife? A report<\/a>\u00a0published in 2017 suggested that gardening helped reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. Recent\u00a0research<\/a>\u00a0suggested that for every \u00a31 spent on promoting contact with nature for people suffering from mental health issues, there was a social return valued at almost \u00a37. An interest in nature pays dividends.<\/p>\n

But it is not just adults who benefit from immersion in nature. Younger people are increasingly disconnected from nature, with one 2002\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0showing that children could identify more Pok\u00e9mon than local wildlife. Children with a greater connection with nature tend to be\u00a0happier<\/a>. Encourage an interest in nature among children and learn together.<\/p>\n

There are many questions we could ask ourselves to better understand how our own lives interact with the environment. Are our\u00a0pet cats<\/a>\u00a0taking in the sun, or hunting? Where are the\u00a0house sparrows<\/a>, and why are they less common? How can we encourage them back? How does urban noise affect\u00a0bird song<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Keep going \u2013 some of the greatest insights into animal behaviour have come from watching garden birds. British biologist\u00a0David Lack\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0seminal 1940s studies of\u00a0robins<\/a>\u00a0showed how their territorial aggression can be triggered by a golf ball sized clump of red material.\u00a0Nick Davies\u2019<\/a>\u00a0work on dunnocks (an often overlooked garden bird) in Cambridge University\u2019s Botanic Garden revealed their fluid relationships, where anything goes, from monogamy to polyandry and polygyny. Clearly there is much to learn from the species we tend to overlook.<\/p>\n

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Squirriel on bird feeder. Photo: Mark Fellowes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We increasingly experience the natural world through a glass, darkly.\u00a0Study after study<\/a>\u00a0promotes the physical and emotional benefits of engaging with the natural world. At the very least, gaze out the window. Embrace the moment to connect with a different pace of life. Breathe. During this lockdown, you are prescribed a dose of garden nature, taken daily, as needed.<\/p>\n

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Top tips<\/h2>\n