Animals in Fulham Cemetery
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Apart from the ever-present grey squirrel, most animals in Fulham Cemetery try not to be seen by humans, but they're there! Wild spaces like the cemetery are a lifeline for animals living in the city.
🌼 New: 3 bat boxes have been installed in December 2024! Photo gallery
Grey squirrel
The grey squirrel was introduced into the UK in the 1800s. One of our most familiar mammals, the grey squirrel can be found in woods, gardens and parks across town and country, and often proves to be very tame. It is a frequent visitor to gardens with bird tables and feeders. Grey squirrels feast on hazelnuts by cracking the shell in half. You may also find pine cones that have been nibbled, leaving what looks like an apple core behind. They will cache their food in autumn if it is abundant. Grey squirrels make a rough nest, called a 'drey' out of twigs, leaves and strips of bark in the fork of a branch, high up in the tree canopy. Females may have two litters of three to four young a year.
Photos: Louis Guillot • Information: London Wildlife TrustRed fox
Famed for their cunning and stealth, these orangey-red dogs with their bushy tails can be seen in towns and the countryside. They come out mostly at night but can also be seen during the day if you’re lucky!
They are not fussy eaters and will happily munch on small mammals, birds, frogs, worms as well as berries and fruit. Foxes that live in towns and cities may even scavenge in bins to look for scraps. A male fox, called a dog, makes a barking noise whereas the females, called vixens make a spine-chilling scream sound.
Photos: Louis Guillot • Information: London Wildlife TrustMouse
Louis Guillot photographed this mouse in the cemetery feeding on blackberry seeds.
The wood mouse is sometimes known as the long-tailed field mouse and is widespread; it is probably most common in woodland, rough grassland and gardens. It is mostly nocturnal and an agile climber. Wood mice will gather food stores of berries and seeds in the autumn, which they keep in underground burrows or sometimes in old birds' nests. Females have up to six litters a year of between four and eight young, and may even breed over winter if food is abundant.
The wood mouse is golden-brown, with a pale underside, large ears and eyes, and a long tail. It is bigger than the harvest mouse, and browner in colour than the house mouse.
Photos: Louis Guillot • Information: London Wildlife TrustBats
Bat walk on 17/9/2024, report from Simone Turner:
We only confidently identified Common Pipistrelles – but in very healthy numbers. They are foraging throughout the cemetery and it would be brilliant to put up some bat boxes for them.
Common pipistrelle
The common pipistrelle is so small, it can fit into a matchbox! Despite its size, it can easily eat 3,000 insects a night: look for it flitting around the garden or a lit lamp post as it chases its prey.
The common pipistrelle is our smallest and most common bat. All UK bats are nocturnal – preferring to come out only at night. They feed on midges, moths and other flying insects that they find in the dark by using echolocation. Common pipistrelles don’t have to look far to find food, whether they live in the countryside or the city!
They roost in tree holes, bat boxes and even the roof spaces of houses, often in small colonies. During the summer, females form maternity colonies and have just a single pup each. Look out for common pipistrelles darting about as they hunt for insects in gardens or around streetlights just after sunset. They hibernate over winter, usually between November and April, but may come out to feed on warm days.
Information: London Wildlife TrustFind out more: