three ways to help animals in winter

Make a hedgehog shelter

“During the winter, hedgehogs can have a little trouble finding shelter in gardens, in any case a quiet place to hibernate or rest.“, explains Estelle Veyssière of the league for the protection of birds in Île-de-France. For this, it is possible to concoct a shelter for them. We will need a little straw, a wooden crate in which We have previously cut an opening, from a garbage bag, wooden logs and dead leaves. Then just dig a hole, put the straw in it before installing the crate. Then cut the garbage bag to place it directly on the crate to shelter from the rain. Place the wooden logs to hold the crate and place the dead leaves everywhere, in sufficient quantity.

Install a feeder

Avoid balls of fat surrounded by a net as much as possible. They are real traps for birds. Aurore Frérot from the League for the Protection of Birds suggests creating a feeder in which we will put a ball of fat made up of margarine, sunflower seeds, corn seeds and wheat. Forget bread or other sweet and salty industrial cakes: they are bad for birds. Finally, the feeding period is recommended from November to March, when it is very cold.

Build a birdhouse

There are different types: in kit form, already assembled, or if you are a little handy, you can make it from A to Z. Place the nest box between two and three meters in height, facing south-east. When installing, remember to place it away from predators. For example, avoid having a nearby branch on which a cat could perch.