Bank and Field Voles are one of the main sources of food for Tawny and Barn Owls.
Our area also provides a home for many insects, some of the more attractive ones having already been pictured on this blog. I found two galls, pictured below - an Oak Marble Gall and a Thistle Stem Gall which provide a nest for the larvae of specific insects (Andricus kollari and Urophora cardui). Insects feed birds and bats, and some smaller mammals.
.
In addition, the tall hollow stems of Common Hogweed have provided protection for the larvae of a fly or wasp, shown by the holes bored to let them out.
So, even in mid-Winter, there are signs of life all around The Mound.