One of the reasons I took on an allotment when I moved to Darlington was to get closer to wildlife. I used to work outdoors and live in the countryside so I was used to seeing and hearing wildlife everyday. Where I live now there is very little ‘green space’ and virtually no opportunity to connect with nature. I thought an allotment would help with this.

The good thing about our allotment site is that it is messy! There are lots of overgrown plots, land not being cultivated, hedges and piles of discarded wood. OK, so it doesn’t look particularly nice but it does provide a fantastic habitat for local wildlife.

We don’t get anything particularly special visiting. The usual birds, toads, mice, hedgehogs, foxes, bees, beetles, newts and lizards, but its good to see them around when you are digging or weeding. The birds especially like the digging!

Of course, you have to put up with the unwanted wildlife – rabbits, pigeons, slugs and snails. These got more than their fair share of allotment produce last year so we are tightening our security this time around. But we are also doing more to attract the good guys. Bird feeders and log piles are a start. Perhaps a pond later in the year also.

All of these photos are from last year. I had another day of digging today, again with nothing much to show for it. No wildlife either. Still, it should begin to pay off before too long…