To mark Hedgerow Week 2025, Countryside Management Specialist at Teagasc, Dr. Catherine Keena takes a closer look at how birds, bats and bees interact with our hedgerows – using them as vital corridors for food, shelter and travel.

Hedgerows and birds

Hedgerows are essential habitats for many bird species in Ireland; 35 of the 110 regularly recorded countryside birds nest in them and 55 use them. They offer shelter, food, nesting sites, song perches, and movement corridors.

Birds like the dunnock, wren, robin, blackbird, and song thrush nest in the dense cover of hedges to protect against predators. Species such as house sparrows use them to connect nesting areas, preventing genetic isolation.

Hedgerows also provide a rich food supply. Berries like haws, rose hips and blackberries are vital in autumn, while insects drawn to hedgerow plants feed species like blue tits, coal tits and goldcrests. Predators such as sparrowhawks and barn owls hunt along hedgerows, relying on their structure for cover and vantage points.

Birds use the tops of hedges to sing and defend territory, while trees growing within hedgerows support species like finches and mistle thrushes. Rare birds like the yellowhammer and twite also rely on hedgerows for survival, with the twite requiring consistent vegetation for its diet.

In the below video, Catherine Keena and Niall Hatch from Birdwatch Ireland tell us more on how birds use hedges:

For more detailed information on how birds use hedges, visit here.

Hedgerows and bats

Bats, often misunderstood, are highly adapted nocturnal mammals. In Ireland, bats use linear habitats like hedgerows as vital commuting routes between roosts and feeding grounds such as woodlands and waterways. These hedges also provide rich foraging grounds, especially when tall and thick, supporting a variety of insects. Ireland’s smallest bats, the common and soprano pipistrelles, can each consume up to 3,000 insects, including midges, in a single night.

Bats roost in mature trees within hedgerows, especially those with holes or split limbs, making the preservation of such trees essential. While often feared due to myths and their nocturnal nature, bats are harmless, not related to rodents, and more closely linked to humans. They are the only true flying mammals and play a crucial ecological role by keeping insect populations in check, acting as indicators of healthy habitats. Ireland is home to nine bat species, including the Leisler’s and Daubenton’s bats.

In the below video, Catherine Keena is joined by Tina Aughney, Bat Conservation Ireland to share more key details on how bats use hedges:

For more detailed information on how bats use hedges, visit here.

Hedgerows and bees

Ireland is home to 77 solitary bee species, 21 bumblebee species, and one honeybee species, with a third of these bees under threat of extinction. Hedges play a crucial role in supporting bees by providing essential food and nesting sites, especially in agricultural areas.

Many solitary bees become active early in the year, relying on early flowering hedge plants like whitethorn and willow for food. Most solitary bees nest in the ground, often in south-facing, sunny banks beneath hedges, while others nest in hollow stems of plants such as brambles.

Bumblebees benefit greatly from hedges as well, which offer continuous flowering from February to November, including ivy. Bumblebee nests are commonly found at the base of hedges, offering protection and proximity to food. Hedges also act as ‘bee motorways’, helping bees navigate and connect feeding areas.

The distance bees travel from their nests varies with size – solitary bees travel only a few hundred meters, while bumblebees may travel up to 3 km. Honeybees can visit up to 5,000 flowers a day. Hedges that provide both food and nesting sites close together are vital for bee survival and biodiversity in Ireland.

In the below video, Catherine Keena is joined by Stephanie Maher, Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, to tells us more on how bees use hedges:

For more detailed information on how bees use hedges, visit here.

Hedgerow Week 2025

A collaboration between Teagasc and the Heritage Council, Hedgerow Week 2025 is an initiative to raise awareness of the value of hedgerows.

Events run from Friday, 29 August to Sunday 7 September, and include demonstrations on how to plant and manage hedgerows, how to maximise their benefits for biodiversity, and how to provide them with seasonal care.

See the full listing of events for Hedge Week 2025 here.

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