Wildlife stocktake highlights UK's most threatened species

[dipsydoodle]

Some 60% of British animal and plant species have declined in the past 50 years, and one in 10 could disappear, a stocktake of UK nature suggests.

The State of Nature report, compiled by 25 wildlife organisations - from the RSPB to the British Lichen Society - collates assessments of 3,148 species.

It offers clues to the fate of the UK's 59,000 species.

Among those seeing the largest falls in numbers are turtle doves, water voles, red squirrels and hedgehogs.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/22609000

[Nihil]

1. :-(

> Among those seeing the largest falls in numbers are turtle doves,
> water voles, red squirrels and hedgehogs.

Some of my favourite native animals ...

[dipsydoodle]

2. Greys saw the departure of red squirels

Hedgehogs need to be able to travel from garden to garden through holes made in fences and between hedging and if you like water voles go fishing - I know they are highly amusing to watch

[Nihil]

3. There are still some outposts (e.g., Brownsea Island) ...

... so I was sad to read that even those ones are being put under more stress.

We used to have a hedgehog that included our garden on his evening stroll
(sometimes with a mate) but he stopped a few years ago. We still keep the
"hedgehog hole" in the fence open though, just in case another moves into
the area.

[dipsydoodle]

4. Hegdehogs come to my backdoor at night

and finish off the cat food which is put out for a stray cat who inhabits my back garden.

Grey squirrels - I watched two yesterday afternoon bite holes through two clear plastic bird feeders filled with seed for the blue tits etc and stick there heads inside to demolish most of the contents !

On the general subject of wildlife this was a one off summer a few years ago when mum and dad fox used to bring their cubs into my garden for the afternoon.