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Advice

There are many animal, bird and insect species that are in decline because of society building on their natural habitats. All these species are part of the natural life cycles of our planet helping to provide us with fresh water, food, fresh air and other essential requirements for our everyday life.

 

 

Hedgehog Box

A good example is if you grow your own veggies, by encouraging hedgehogs and birds to where you grow your food, you could reduce the pests which can devastate your crop and therefore improve your crops.

Hedgehog boxes cost around £35. They should be placed in an area of the garden which is sheltered from accidentally interfering with the box. Some straw in the box will help the hedgehog start its nest for hibernation. Covering the box in leaves will help protect it from the elements whilst increasing its thermal value (which is good for the hedgehog).

Hedgehogs will usually find their own food, but there is no real harm in feeding them if you want. Most people leave out bread and milk, though there is specific hedgehog food you can buy.

 

 

Insect Box

Insects are essential food for many birds & animals and therefore if we are to increase biodiversity we need to increase the chances of insects surviving.

Insect boxes also help us to study interesting insect species and a great way to get children interested in the environment.

Insect boxes are best placed next to your wildlife patch which is a haven for insect species.

 

 

Bird Box

Birds are finding nesting areas difficult to find, especially in built up areas and therefore it is important that we substitute this loss by using bird boxes. Bird boxes usually cost between £15 and £25 and you can get them so they are designed specifically to encourage certain birds (usually the size of the inlet hole).

Positioning of the bird box is important to ensure it is both used and the birds are successful in nesting in the box. Firstly choose a location where predators will have less chance of getting to the box i.e. in a tree away from branches that allow access to the box and at a height that foxes, cats, etc will have trouble getting to (2.5m height).

Remember to place bird boxes away from feeding areas.

 

 

Bird Feeders

Following on from the bird box advice above, society has taken away a lot of the habitats and sources of food that birds require to sustain themselves and their population. It is again important that we substitute their natural food source until we sort the balance between society and nature.

The advice seems to be these days to feed birds all year around, which I suppose in an effort to improve bird populations.

There are four main types of bird feed that you can buy (though hybrid feeds can also be found):

• Seeds

• Nuts

• Fat balls

• Insects

 

 

Bird Baths

One of the biggest issues for birds is simply that they don’t have enough places to drink from or bath in. Bird tables can vary largely in cost depending on the type that you want. Plastic ones can cost around £15 where stone ones can cost up to £100.

Alternatively it is possible to build your own from waste materials and we recommend the Las Pilitas website link on the right for some inspiration.

We would recommend that the bird bath is placed away from nesting areas or boxes to avoid confrontation for the nesting.

 

 

Bat Box

Bats have suffered very badly due to human activities, and it is important for us to provide artificial roosting sites in order to help numbers stabilise until legislative measures take effect (which could take decades).

It is possible to make your own bat box (see ‘Country Side Info’ link on the right), though it is possible to buy professionally-made bat boxes at around £20.

One of the important aspects of putting up a bat box is to site it:

• Southerly direction – some sites say south-westerly is better as it reduces overheating in the summer, but allows some warmth to get to the box before the sun goes down.

• Place at least 5m from the ground with no easy access to the bat box by predators e.g. if the bat box is on a tree, make sure there is no branches above, below or next to the box.

 

 

Other Sustainable Considerations:

Why not get a bird box which is made from certified sustainable timber, such as FSC, PEFC, SFI, etc.

The Natural History Mueum has a huge database, which is free to use, which lists a wide range of plants (flora). This can be used to select which native trees/ shubs and plants you want to place in your garden.

When doing some planting in the garden why not look to introduce species which contain natural food sources for birds e.g. the honeysuckle or hawthorn. See the Royal Horticultural Society link on the right for a list of plants which provide a source of food for birds.