SIKA DEER

Sika Deer have a reddish brown coat with white spots, tail and rump. Antlers are shed in April – May.

Feeding on grasses, fungi, bark and heather, they are solitary deer who come together to mate between August –October. Usual life span 15 years.

Read David Chapman's fascinating article on Sika Deer here

THE RED FOX

The Red Fox is rusty red with a white tummy, black ear tips and legs and a big busy tail. Mainly carnivorous but also enjoys fruit and vegetables.

Pups are born between January to March. Usual life span in the wild is only 2 years.

BADGERS

Badgers can be aggressive animals that protect themselves and their young.  Living in sets with up to 15 other badgers, they sleep most of the day and emerge at dusk to hunt.

Mainly eats on earthworms, insects, birds and reptiles, but they do enjoy cereals, roots and fruit.

RABBITS

Rabbits are black to brown buff with a white tummy and upturned tail.  Living in warrens, the social rabbits eat up to 30% of their body weight a day grazing on grass and crops.

The female can reproduce many times a year but sadly in the wild only live for about 12 months.

BATS

There are 16 different species of bats in the UK ranging from brown to black in colour.   Nocturnal animals that live in large groups in a roost, coming out at dusk to feed on insects.

The female gives birth between May to July.  Contrary to belief, bats are not blind and have incredible senses.  They are a protected species.

HEDGEHOG

The hedgehog has been around for 15 million years! An adult hog has over 7,000 prickles.

With over 500 fleas on their spiny bodies, specifically to hedgehogs, their fleas can not live on humans or our pets.

SQUIRRELS

Grey squirrels are distinguished from red squirrels by their grey fur, smaller ear tufts and their larger, more robust build. Grey squirrels sit with their large bushy tail arched over the back.

They can be found throughout most of southern England (except the Isle of Wight), Wales, Some parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

WOOD MOUSE

Also known as the Long Tailed Field Mouse, for obvious reasons, this is the most common British mammal. The fur is a yellow-brown colour on the back, while the belly and underside fur is a creamy-white. It has big black eyes, and prominent ears.

They generally live in an underground burrow, coming out at night to feed. Their movements are very fast, and sometimes they jump, looking like tiny kangaroos. Underground, they build up a store of food for the winter. Although they don't hibernate, they becomes less active during the winter.