On my drive to work this week, I’ve noticed some welcome colour on the landscape with the yellow daffodils (that survived the snow), standing up confident and bold.

The lighter evenings have also brought wonderful sounds of bird song later in the day at dusk. Spring is on its way.

One up-side to the bare trees is being able to see birds flitting in-between the branches, busy collecting materials for their nests and searching for food in preparation for the start of the breeding season. For me, this is the most exciting time of the year. I’ve got a bird box in my garden, and I’m waiting patiently for my first tenants.

Being a bird is precarious, with so many things to over-come, such as the changeable weather, lack of food and predators to worry about, I’d imagine that a ready-made home would be quite a relief to find.

This is a good example of us doing something relatively easy and quick to help wildlife. We often hear stories about much-loved species of wildlife declining: starlings are in decline, as are hedgehogs and bees, so is it really that easy to make a difference?

The short answer is yes, we can make a difference, but to make a real impact and keep the effort to a minimum for many of us who are time-poor, we need to do it en-masse.

So, if everyone made one small change to their garden in your street, you can significantly improve the survival rates for many of our beloved garden visitors.

For example, why not put a hole in a fence to create a corridor for hedgehogs to move between gardens? Or, put some nectar-rich plants in your garden for the bees?

Bird feeders, water and bird houses will all help our feathered friends to settle in your green space and get the most from it.

It’s not just the wildlife we’re helping – there is pleasure to be taken from watching wildlife thrive and grow in your garden, it’s a great family activity to do together and it’s been proven that spending time outside, moving around and getting fresh air, is good for our physical and mental health.

If you’ve already made your garden wildlife friendly, entries for our Wildlife Friendly Gardening Competition 2018 are open on April 1 at www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife-gardening.

Here you’ll also find information and tips on creating and maintaining a garden for wildlife.

BY SALLY WELBOURN

DORSET WILDLIFE TRUST