It's that time of year again when we look back at the results of our Hedgehog Hotspots survey! Hundreds of you took the time to add your sightings to our map again this year - thank you so much for sharing these with us.

In this blog we'll be diving into this year's results and finding out what these can tell us about how hedgehogs are faring in our region. We also look at some of the wider trends amongst hedgehog populations, and explore how our individual actions at home can have a big impact on the fortunes of our much-loved hogs.

This year's results

We received 740 responses this year, with sightings of 1,147 hedgehogs in total. Comparing these figures to last year's results, this was a slight reduction in both the number of sightings (down 7% from 796) and the number of hedgehogs seen (also down 7% from 1,233).

Of the 740 sightings we received this year...

• 359 were from Lancashire
• 205 were from Greater Manchester
• 112 were from Merseyside
• 64 were from outside our region. 

Read on to find out...

How many hedgehogs did people see?

Where were the most popular areas for sightings?

What good news can we see from the results?

Where will the results be shared?

What does the bigger picture look like for hedgehogs in 2024?

What can we all do to help hedgehogs?

Where were the most popular areas for sightings?

We received sightings from all over our region (and beyond!) - here were the most commonly mentioned places:

Preston - 96

Manchester - 66

Liverpool - 65

Bolton - 59

Chorley - 44

In terms of what environments this year's hedgehogs were spotted in:

Gardens or yards were mentioned 419 times

Roads or streets were mentioned 81 times

Fields or countryside were mentioned 37 times

Parks were mentioned 16 times

Drives or driveways were mentioned 12 times

Woods or woodland were mentioned 10 times

As with last year's results, this suggests that the majority of sightings came mainly from urban or suburban areas. Whilst this does reflect the bigger picture of hedgehogs faring better in urban environments than their rural counterparts, it's also to be expected that more sightings would come from towns and cities where there are more people to take part in the survey.

Take a look at the map below and zoom in on the north west to see the full results from our region. How many sightings can you see near where you live?

The good news from this year's results

One of the best things about reading these survey results is seeing how many people are creating wildlife-friendly spaces at home where hedgehogs and other species can thrive. Whilst there are still many threats facing hedgehogs, the efforts made by individual people like you do add up to make a really big impact, and give these much-loved creatures an important lifeline. Here are just a few of the steps you've been taking: 

198 people mentioned food, 79 people mentioned water and 70 people mentioned a feeding station

65 people mentioned using cameras to check on their hedgehog visitors

33 people mentioned hedgehog houses

27 people mentioned hedgehog highways, holes or gaps in fences to allow hogs to roam more easily

Participants had been taking lots of other actions to help wildlife too, including letting grass grow long, not using pesticides or chemicals, creating log piles or leaf piles, and much more.

If you've already been taking steps like this, please let us know! You can tell us what you've been doing at home to make your outdoor spaces more welcoming for hedgehogs and other wildlife by taking our My Wild Garden survey.

Take a look at the gallery below to see just a few of the hedgehogs who visited this year's participants' gardens!

Where will the results be shared?

If you added a sighting to our map this year, thank you! This data will be sorted and shared with your county's local wildlife records centre; the Lancashire Environment Record Network, the Greater Manchester Local Record Centre, and Merseyside BioBank.

The sightings you've submitted will provide your local records centre with important data that will help inform important conservation decisions, and protect local hedgehog populations in the future.

Don't forget, you can report wildlife sightings to your local records centre all year round, whatever species you have spotted! Learn more about recording wildlife and why it's so important to do so, here. 

You can also add your hedgehog sightings to the Big Hedgehog Map all year round, which is a national initiative run by Hedgehog Street.

What we can do to help hedgehogs

As this year's results show, our own gardens and yards can be a lifeline for hedgehogs. Even a small green space can provide your local hogs with the food, water and shelter that they need to survive in a difficult landscape. Here are a few more ideas for what you can do at home...

• Encourage invertebrates into your garden - grow long patches of grass, go chemical-free, build a log pile, or plant native plants that insects love. Beetles, worms, caterpillars and more will take up residence in your garden, which also happen to be perfect food sources for hogs!

• Create hedgehog highways with your neighbours, making gaps in your fences to allow hedgehogs to move around more easily. This can create a wonderful joined-up habitat for them, saving them the vital energy it takes moving from space to space, and helping them avoid roads.

• Whilst encouraging their natural food sources is important, you can also provide suitable supplementary food to help hedgehogs keep their weight up at key times of year.

• Provide safe spaces to nest and hibernate, such as a hedgehog house, a cosy leaf pile, or plenty of native hedges and shrubs where they can take shelter.

• Be sure to check longer grass carefully for hedgehogs before strimming or cutting.

• Look out for the signs of an unwell hedgehog; if you see one looking lethargic or wobbly, or if you spot a hog out during the day, it's best to contact your local rescue centre as they may need help. Whilst hedgehogs may venture out during the day in certain situations, such as pregnant females gathering nesting materials, it's always best to be safe.

Download our free Help a Hog guide for lots more ideas on how you can help hedgehogs at home.