The recent training course by the Bat Conservation Trust, Bats for Building Professionals, aimed to provide direction and understanding on the legal protections surrounding bats and their roosts in buildings. Suitable for contractors, pest controllers, surveyors, architects or those working within the construction industry, the session aided building professionals in developing their bat roost identification skills and taught them how to navigate situations where bats are present on site.
The seven-hour course, run over two interactive online sessions, explored bat ecology, biology, best practices, the latest guidance and legal information.
The course began with a comprehensive overview ofBritain’s breeding bat species, covering their biology, ecology, adaptations, habitat preferences and roosting types. Speaker Katie Swift introduced the Bat Calendar – a particularly interesting aspect of the session which revealed how contractors and construction workers can plan work around bat activity to minimise disturbances (see below).
The bat calendar shows how contractors and construction workers can plan work around bat activity to minimise disturbances.
This led to a discussion of bat roosts in built structures, where Katieexplained why bats favour these spaces and detailed attractive features for both cavity and crevice roosting species, such as soffits, eaves, and cladding. Exploring the different uses of these roosts throughout the year, Katie highlighted how occupied spaces change between summer and winter, and which bat species commonly utilise buildings for this purpose. Using examples like pipistrelles and horseshoe bats, she demonstrated how different speciesutilize roosting sites and how to recognize an active roost.
The second part of the discussionfocused on legislation and bat protection, educating attendees on the laws that are in place to ensure bat protection, actions that are considered an offence, and highlightingadvice services available. Katie then reviewed the European Protected Species License, explainingits role in safeguarding bats within the UK, outlining how construction activities can potentially harm bats in buildings,and when to seek advice as a building professional in keeping with best practice guidelines.
The second session concluded with an interactive quiz of working examples for building professionals, covering a range of typical building works including barn conversions, door repairs and gutter replacements.
The ‘homework’ task between sessions was a particularly enjoyable aspect of the course – through independent field work, attendees had the opportunity to report on the potential bat features of their chosen building or structure and apply the knowledge learned throughout the session to understand which species may be present in the area, the areas bats may utilise on the structure and what works might impact a roost.
This insightful and informative training course provides a valuable resource for building professionals seeking to learn or refresh their knowledge about bats and building projects. The speaker’s expertise ensured a comprehensive and engaging learning experience, covering everything from bat ecology, to bats in buildings and licensing.
Find out more about upcoming events and the extensive range of training courses with the Bat Conservation Trust via their website.
Nest boxes can be an excellent way to support biodiversity and incorporate additional habitat into new builds or redevelopments. Some nest boxes are specifically designed to cater to certain species, while others are more generalist and are suitable for multiple species. Generally, bird nest boxes consist of a large internal cavity and an access hole in various shapes or locations depending on the target species. They can be made from a variety of materials, however, woodcrete (or woodstone, woodconcrete) is generally preferred due to its robustness, longevity and advantageous thermal properties.
As low impact, wildlife-friendly construction gains momentum, more choice is added to the market each day, and the range is extensive. We are pleased to offer the largest range of integrated nest boxes in the UK. Here we provide an overview of some of our bestselling models and their benefits.
Integrated Swift Boxes
Swift populations have declined over recent decades due to changes in roof design and the choice of materials used to construct our homes and public buildings. This species typically uses existing holes, cracks and crevices to build their nests, especially those in old buildings, so built-in swift boxes are recommended to provide areas for these birds to roost. These boxes provide large internal cavities within the brickwork that can be accessed by horizontally elongated, often downward facing entrance holes. As colony breeders, it is recommended to site multiple swift boxes together, situated with a clear flight path. The boxes should be installed at a minimum height of 5m on a non-south facing wall and should have no less than 40cm between entrance holes.
Installed flush to the wall or can be rendered over
Long lasting and durable
Integrated Sparrow Boxes
House Sparrow populations have undergone significant declines in previous decades and remain in a vulnerable state in the UK. As colony nesters, this species would benefit from boxes that are installed close together, or a larger, terraced box with multiple connected chambers. These built-in sparrow boxes consist of a durable woodcrete housing with a discrete entrance hole and a large cavity chamber (or alternatively multiple chambers) for nesting.
Can be integrated into the build or fixed to external walls
Removable front panel
Multiple chambers
General Purpose Integrated Bird Nest Boxes
Built-in bird boxes have inclusive designs to cater for a number of bird species, and usually consist of a woodcrete nest box with a cavity space and a discrete entrance hole. These self-contained concrete nests are unobtrusive and are typically installed flush to the wall or can be rendered over for more pleasing aesthetics.
Can be integrated into walls and rendered over, or can be mounted onto external walls
Suitable for multiple species
Custom Integrated Bird Boxes
Bird boxes typically consist of a solid box made from insulating materials with an internal nesting space. They can be custom faced with a chosen brick type (or existing brick, wood, stonework or rendered finish) to allow for discrete installation and a better blend into the existing facade.
If you have any questions about our range or would like some advice on the right product for you then please contact us via email at customer.services@nhbs.com or phone on 01803 865913.
The range of integrated or built-in boxes designed for bats can be overwhelming. For new developments, or renovation projects, you may be searching for bat boxes to incorporate additional habitats into your build, and support species while providing new infrastructure. With an upturn in low impact, wildlife friendly construction, integrated bat boxes are becoming increasingly relevant in the construction sector. Bat boxes are designed to provide an appropriately sized, predator-free space for bats to roost or hibernate. They are often designed to be built-in to the building itself, whether this be roofing or brickwork and are unobtrusive, often hard to spot, and help to provide various species with a permanent roost.
There are 18 bat species in the UK, all of which use the same areas of buildings to roost in the absence of natural habitats – most commonly cellars, roofs and loose brickwork, among many more. In general, bat boxes should be placed between 3-6 metres high, in a sunny location with around 6-8 hours of direct sunlight. It is also best to avoid placing these in areas around artificial light. For built-in products, woodcrete (or woodstone, woodconcrete) is preferred due to its durability, longevity and good insulative properties.
Here we discuss integrated bat boxes, providing an overview of our selection of bat boxes and their benefits.
Types of Integrated Bat Boxes
Bat Tiles, Bricks and Panels
Tiles, bricks and panels provide bats with an access point to a suitable roosting space, whether this be within the roof, ridge tiles or a cavity area behind bricks and panels. They are designed to be incorporated into the build itself during construction or renovation and should be provided with suitable roosting cavities behind the access point, usually in the form of bat boxes or insulation-free cavity space.
Provides bats with an entrance to underfelt or open loft
Protection from heat extremes
Available in five traditional tile colours
Integrated Bat Boxes
Bat boxes are designed to cater for either crevice and cavity dwelling species through varying complexity or can occasionally be a hybrid design to encourage uptake from both groups. These self-contained roosts are unobtrusive and are typically installed flush to the wall or can be rendered over. Bat boxes can also be designed for hibernation and breeding, providing a well-insulated, larger space to accommodate breeding colonies and larger groups.
Bat boxes typically consist of a solid box made from insulating materials with an internal roosting space. They can be custom faced with a chosen brick type (or existing brick, wood, stonework or rendered finish) to allow for discrete installation and a better blend into the existing facade.
Available in a variety of facings to suit any existing brick, wood, stonework or aa rendered finish
Insulative properties
External Bat Boxes
An alternative to integrated habitat boxes, externally mounted bat boxes can be attached to trees, fences, or buildings and are typically made of woodstone or woodcrete. These versatile boxes can be designed for summer roosting, hibernation, or maternity roosting, varying in size to accommodate different species.
If you have any questions about our range or would like some advice on the right product for you then please contact us via email at customer.services@nhbs.com or phone on 01803 865913.
Whether you are planning a construction project, are in the middle of a new–build or are looking to update an existing structure, you may be exploring options for providing bat habitats. We have an extensive range of bat boxes available on our website, in a variety of formats and materials. Here we explore thedifferent types, how they may be used and where they can be installed.
Bat Box Material Properties
Bat boxes are constructed with a variety of materials, each with differing properties.
Most commonly used for external boxes, wood is lightweight with good thermal properties for inhabitants. However, it does rot without treatment and therefore does not last as long as other materials.
Woodcrete (also named woodstone or woodconcrete) is a very durable material with exceptional thermal properties and is often the material of choice for built-in boxes. It can also be used externally and can last several decades once installed.
Eco-plastics are used to create lightweight boxes, typically designed for external use. They have good weather resistance and longevity, although less durability.
Concrete is exceptionally durable and is used for built-in boxes. It has good thermal properties but due to its weight, is unsuitable for external mounting.
Maternity Boxes
Typically larger in size with multiple internal chambers, maternity boxes are designed to support breeding colonies by providing a well-insulated roosting space for raising young.
These boxes are mostly made for external installation but are also available in a built-in format which is installed into the brickwork and can be rendered over.
Since these boxes are mostly available in an external form, they can be installed once construction has taken place. Built-in boxes should be fixed during the construction process and installed directly into the brickwork.
An FSC certified crevice box, suitable for roosts or maternity groups.
Bat Tubes
Bat tubes are longer internal cavities with multiple sections or crevices. These are often made of woodcrete and are available in modular versions which can be connected in the facade allowing for side-by-side or a longer tower format.
These boxes come built-in and are incorporated into the building’s brickwork during exterior wall construction where they can be rendered over.
A modular option available in multiple depths and styles for crevice and cavity species.
Bat Bricks
Constructed to industry standard size, bat bricks have a dome-shaped access hole to allow bats into a suitable cavity.
These products are designed to be incorporated into the brickwork of a building, whether this be a new build or an existing structure under renovation, and are available in standard colours enabling them to seamlessly blend into existing walls. When installing bat bricks, it is important to ensure that a chamber free from insulating material is available behind the access brick to allow bats to safely roost.
A standard-sized brick available in red, golden and brown colours.
Access Tiles and Panels
Similar to bat bricks, these tiles provide an access point to open roof space or the underfelt of the roof, allowing bats to roost in confined spaces beneath the tiles. They can be installed within the roof or ridge tiles during construction, or they may be used to replace tiles on existing structures, and are available in multiple colours to blend seamlessly into existing tiles.
Bat access panels are also available to provide bats access to a roosting site, and are particularly advantageous for renovation projects with existing roosting colonies. These panels can also be rendered over, and can be installed at any point during construction.
Access tiles and panels require an insulation-free cavity behind the product to provide roosting space.
A woodconcrete access panel with an overall depth of just 8cm for easy integration.
Bat Box
These boxes are available as external or built-in designs and consist of a simple box with an entrance hole and varying interiors. Bat boxes can come in a range of forms, and can have one large, single cavity or a multi-chamber interior and can cater to both crevice and cavity-dwelling bats. There are also hybrid options, where a box is designed with cavities for multiple species, for example a box may cater to bats and Swifts.
Built-in boxes are designed to be installed among the brickwork and can be rendered over. External boxes can be mounted to trees, fences and buildings with the appropriate fixings. It is important to consider the weight of an external box before mounting, more lightweight boxes (made from wood or plastic for example) can be fixed to trees, but heavier woodcrete boxes should be fixed to a solid structure.
Features a single internal cavity that is suitable as a summer roost.
Rocket box
Rocket boxes are large, pole-mounted habitats that provide a large roosting area over multiple chambers. Typically made with a plastic shell, these boxes allow for 360 movement and are available with both crevice and cavity designs.
Rocket boxes are external and do not attach to any part of the building. They are particularly useful when there are no suitable trees for external boxes, and a wall mounted box is undesirable. They have also been used to provide an alternative roosting site near building works.
If you have any questions about our range or would like some advice on the right product for you then please contact us via email at customer.services@nhbs.com or phone on 01803 865913.
Modern infrastructure has come with a host of changes to roof design, which have impacted the availability of suitable nesting sites for a number of avian species. House Martins and Swallows have been particularly affected by these changes, and we can encourage their colonisation, nesting and breeding through the provision of artificial habitats.
These birds live in colonies of around five nests constructed using spring mud, but in drier springs this can be in short supply. Gathering building materials also requires significant energy expenditure for breeding birds, removing energy available for roosting and raising young. Nest boxes provide a ready–made habitat suitable for nesting without spring mud availability.
Swallows and House Martins require a cup or bowl-shaped nest, with a small, narrow entrance and are generally made of Woodcrete/WoodStone or hard wood. They are typically placed under the external eaves of a building to mimic natural nesting locations and are best placed on a sheltered side at a minimum height of 2m above the ground. Due to their natural nesting habits, House Martin and Swallow nests are designed to be wall mounted. These birds are highly sociable and prefer to nest in colonies, so consider mounting multiple nests to further support natural behaviour.
Here we look at a selection of nest boxes suitable for House Martins and Swallows, highlighting the benefits of each design.
Key materials
Wooden nest boxes are preferred by many. This lightweight material is breathable and provides excellent insulation for nesting birds, helping to protect them from temperature extremes between seasons. Typically used for external boxes, harder wood types provide a fair level of robustness and longevity when at least 15mm thick and help to prevent predator access to the nest. The main drawback of wooden nests is the maintenance they require – they should be monitored to ensure the wood remains in good condition, and care taken in choosing wood treatments as many can be harmful to nesting birds.
WoodStone and Woodcrete are almost identical in composition, but Woodcrete is a patented material by Durisol. The material is made from a blend of wood and concrete to produce long-lasting, very durable boxes which can last for decades. It has good insulative properties and creates a stable environment inside the box to shelter inhabitants from extreme temperatures. This material is offered for both built-in and mounted nest boxes but is more often used for built-in boxes due to its weight, which is heavier than wood or eco-plastic. WoodStone is typically more expensive than other materials and requires thoughtful design to improve ventilation to prevent the buildup of moisture in the nest.
Certain components of a bird box may be made with eco-, or regular, plastic. A low-cost option, plastic is more lightweight than Woodcrete, and provides more longevity than wood. This weather resistant material is easy to maintain and is often sourced from recycled plastics. Nest boxes featuring eco-plastic require careful design to mitigate issues with insulation and ventilation. This material is, however, less durable and provides little resistance to predators.
The nest bowl is made from wood concrete, ensuring long-lasting durability and a stable interior climate. The chipboard backing ensures easy, lightweight installation.
A WoodStone nesting box that ensures breathability, durability and temperature stability for nesting House Martins. The exterior grade plywood backing is lightweight making it easy to install, and is hard-wearing to ensure a long-lasting product.
Made with WoodStone, a mixture of FSC certified wood fibres and concrete, this House Martin nest features excellent durability and thermal properties to ensure temperature stability for nesting birds. The backing is also made with WoodStone to increase the durability of the overall unit. Double nest options are also available.
Constructed with Woodcrete, nesting birds will benefit from air permeability and weatherproofing with a low maintenance, long-lasting design. This nest cup is uniquely mounted on a durable backing plate and rails to simplify the installation and cleaning process. Also available in a semi-finished format, allowing House Martins to complete the nest themselves which encourages natural building behaviours.
A ceramic nest bowl mounted on a wooden backing plate. Ceramics provide a breathable nesting area with good thermal properties, whilst providing a plastic-free habitat for breeding birds.
The nest cup is made from a resin-concrete mixture, mounted onto a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) backing plate made from recycled plastic waste. A plastic roof and cup drainage holes ensure a dry nest throughout the season.
Made of a mixture of sawdust and cornstarch, this 3D printed nesting cup is fully biodegradable. The result is a durable, weather resistant habitat that is breathable, with adequate insulation for nesting birds.
This droppings board prevents the accumulation of droppings from Swallow and House Martin nest bowls around windows and doors. It can be quickly and easily assembled and installed using screws and is suitable for use beneath any House Martin or Swallow nest box.
For more information on bird boxes and how to choose them, find our Buyers Guides here.
This spring, traditional British lawns are out. Throughout the month of May, Plantlife urges us to let our gardens be wild with #NoMowMay. This exciting initiative encourages us to embrace a wild lawn this spring, providing plants, invertebrates and other wildlife the opportunity to make our gardens a home. No Mow May could transform your green spaces into a colourful kaleidoscope of flowers you never knew were there. From buttercups to bee orchids, here at NHBS we have had an astonishing array of wildflowers in previous years, and we are hoping that this year will be the same!
Knowing when, and how, to mow your lawn to encourage wildflower growth and minimise grass domination can be confusing, and there is no ‘one size fits all’ answer to supporting native wildlife. In anticipation of May, we outline the important things to consider when maintaining your lawn over the coming seasons.
Tightly manicured garden lawns are unable to host the diverse communities associated with a natural space. The artificially constructed environment, with uniform grass length and limited species, prevents our native wildflowers from blooming and our vital insects from settling.Lawn feeds and fertilisers often used to maintain our lawns can result in unnaturally high levels of soil fertility. Such levels can unintentionally diminish the diversity of flora within our gardens, since native wildflowers are adapted to low-nutrient conditions. Associated with higher carbon emissions, time consumption and overall cost, many are steering clear of a high maintenance lawn this spring.
A spring-flowering lawn provides a whole host of benefits for the wildlife within our gardens. Opting for a wild, native lawn provides essential breeding habitats, food sources and physical protection for a number of species.These spaces give wildflowers a chance to bloom and set seed, benefitting both insects, and the predators who rely on them.
Our Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera) from #NoMowMay 2022. Image by Oli Haines.
So, how and when should we mow?
Less is more! Switching up your mowing routine, or refraining from a mow in some areas, is a great way to maximise diversity in your garden. After a short time, your outdoor spaces can flourish into a haven for wildlife. From voles to vetches, and even British reptiles, watch your garden transform from monoculture to a wild refuge.
Varied grass length, wild edges, or longer patches of lawn are great for attracting local wildlife to your garden. You may find orchids, ox-eye daisy and knapweed in these longer areas, which also provide cover for small mammals that may be wandering through, and shorter areas can boost pollen availability from low-lying flowers, like buttercups and clover. Plantlife advocates for a varied mowing approach with longer patches throughout the garden, alongside shorter areas (aiming to mimic grazing pressures of different herbivorous species in the wild). For instance, you might decide to maintain shorter pathways and areas around patios, but allow other areas of your green spaces to grow freely.
It is important to remove cuttings after lawn maintenance to prevent excess nitrogen in the soil, thus reducing nitrophilic plants (species with a preference for nitrate rich habitat, typically from fertilisers and the decomposition of organic material) in your garden. ‘Cut and rot’ management can be counterproductive when cultivating wildflowers, as low levels of soil nutrition are preferred by many and will harbour the most diversity. In fact, frequent fertilisation and additional nutrition can result in an overall decline of wildflowers, leading to a dominance of nitrophilic plant species.
A garden with varied grass length during No Mow May. Image by Allan Harris via Flickr.
Knowing when, and how, to mow during the year is key to maximise flowering of wildflower species, while simultaneously preventing grass domination: to do this, it is generally recommended to mow three times a year; early spring, late summer and in autumn.
A 3-inch, early spring mow is beneficial to kickstart the season, promoting early growth and blooming. An early mow can also help to tackle nitrophiles, like nettles and cow parsley. This can help to prevent competition, allowing wildflowers to grow undisturbed. However, be wary of mowing too early, as this can prevent wildflower seeding and will impact your gardens growth next year.
A summer mow in late July, or August, removes the previous growth, encouraging the bloom of wildflowers later in the season. As far as insects are concerned, the later the mow, the better. Insect species tend to hatch in the warmer parts of spring and summer, so a mow in late August will prevent harm to hatching individuals.
Around late November, an autumn mow can help to promote reseeding and encourages germination in the following spring. Allow the wildflowers in your lawn to finish flowering and let them go to seed, a mow after this allows the seedheads to disperse seeds into your lawn. An autumn cut can also keep grass growth under control, further encouraging germination.
There are also certain considerations to be wary of when forming wild areas in your garden. These habitats will attract a great number of species, who may make your lawn a home. Best practice involves leaving an area of your lawn untouched to house these species, but if you are looking to tidy up your garden after No Mow May, wildlife must be considered. Wildlife in our lawns can be harmed in the process of tidying up our outside spaces. It is recommended to disturb, or walk through patches to be maintained to shoo species from the area. On the first mow, start with a higher cut to give smaller animals a chance to escape. When mowing the lawn, start with garden paths and areas of high footfall, working toward the edges of the garden. This, again, provides wildlife with an escape route through the boundaries of your garden. If your garden has fences or hedgerows, a wildlife corridor along your borders is another way to support visiting animals. Untouched, or lightly managed, strips along these areas can provide a safe space for travel around the garden, providing cover and protection from predators.
Hedgehog by Kalle Gustafsson via Flickr.
How can we prepare for No Mow May?
If you currently use fertilisers, lawn feed, moss killers or pesticides, abandoning the use of these additives in your garden will allow the soil to recover from these harmful chemicals. This can provide microscopic and invertebrate soil communities a chance to recover, improving the overall health of your soil.
For some of us, early bloomers may already be present in our gardens. Cowslip, violets and primroses may be popping up on our lawns, showcasing the first few flowers of the season. You may consider allowing these to go undisturbed, giving them a head start for spring. Having said that, the best way to prepare for No Mow May is a 3-inch April cut to encourage a strong period of spring growth.
Whether or not you decide to mow the lawn this spring, consider leaving an area of your garden wild. Whether this be a natural lawn or rough borders, we hope you feel inspired to take part in this year’s #NoMowMay!
In the first of our two-part series, Gardening for Wildlife: Providing Food, we looked at how to attract wildlife to your garden by including plants for pollinators and providing food for birds and mammals. In the second of our two-part ‘Gardening for Wildlife’ series, we look at how to create nesting or overwintering habitat effectively for the wildlife that visits your garden. Natural nesting sites for birds, insects and mammals have become rare in the broader landscape due to changes in farming, woodland management practices and building construction techniques. Wildlife-friendly gardens can provide fantastic habitat for invertebrates, birds, amphibians and mammals by making a few simple changes and by letting a bit of wildness back in.
It is easy to provide habitat for insects in your garden just by leaving the lawnmower in the shed. Setting aside a patch of grass to grow longer should encourage wildflowers to grow in your lawn, and will provide food and shelter for insects and small mammals. Creating a log pile in which beetles, woodlice and earwigs can shelter is also an easy way to increase garden wildlife habitat. You can provide additional nesting space for solitary bees or overwintering quarters for other insects by creating or installing an insect house. These can be homemade and constructed to your own design, or you can purchase purpose made houses. These are particularly important for solitary bees, who use tunnels in wood, mortar, plant stems or artificial houses to nest. They lay eggs and place a food source in a series of cells, and then block the entrance with materials such as mud, leaves or fine hair. Other nest sites can be provided by leaving dead wood and stems standing and leaving a patch of bare earth or mud bank for mining bees.
Vivara Pro Seville Nest Box
Bird Boxes
Providing bird boxes in your garden can be an excellent way of helping wildlife, as natural nest sites can be rare due to changes in house construction and woodland management techniques. There is a vast array of nest boxes available for many different species of birds, so it is worth knowing which bird species visit your garden before selecting a box. A good place to start is by providing a nest box with a 32mm entrance hole that is suitable for house sparrows or blue and great tits, who are enthusiastic occupiers of nest boxes. Most nest boxes are made of breathable materials such as wood or wood fibres mixed with concrete (Woodcrete or WoodStone). The advantage of Woodcrete and WoodStone nest boxes is that they are much more durable and can last for 10 years or more. Purpose-built nest boxes are available for many different species such as swifts, treecreepers and even robins. For more details on our most popular nest boxes, please see our series of blog posts on nest boxes suitable for different locations. For more details on where to hang your nest box, please see our blog post.
Image by Peter O’Connor via Flickr.
Mammals
Gardens are extremely important for hedgehogs and can provide excellent opportunities for foraging and hibernation. Leaving a pile of fallen leaves or a log pile can give them a place to shelter during the daytime or you can choose to invest in a hedgehog nest box. These can provide a safe place for hedgehogs to sleep or hibernate – there is even the option of installing a nest box camera so that you can watch footage of them using the box.
Hedgehogs can travel up to 2km each night, eating as they go. Allowing them to move freely between gardens is important to ensure that they can obtain enough food and find safe spaces to sleep. If you have a garden fence, cut a hole at the bottom measuring 13 x 13cm to allow hedgehogs to pass through on their nightly wanderings. You could also remove a brick from the bottom of a wall or dig a channel underneath.
Bats also use gardens for foraging, so increasing the number of invertebrates in your garden will help to attract them. Bats naturally roost in a variety of spaces including holes in trees. With natural cavities being rare, providing a bat box can be a great way of helping them and our series of blog posts on the top bat boxes for different locations, and our advice on where to hang your bat box is a great place to start. The best time to watch them is at dusk when you can sit in the garden and see them whizzing around catching mosquitoes. Alternatively, you can invest in a bat detector and identify the species visiting your garden. For both bats and hedgehogs, connectivity to other patches of suitable habitat is key. Hedgehogs use hedgerows or need access through fences to be able to visit multiple gardens, and bats use treelines and hedgerows when foraging.
Image by Erik Paterson via Flickr.
Amphibians and Aquatic Invertebrates
The easiest way to help aquatic invertebrates and amphibians is by creating a pond or small body of water. Even if you have a small garden, you can create a mini pond with an old belfast sink or a washing up bowl. Choose a warm, sunny spot that will be good for dragonflies and tadpoles, consider planting a few native freshwater plants and wildlife such as pond skaters, damselflies and water beetles should soon find the spot. Please ensure that ponds are positioned with safety in mind if you have children, and that you include rocks or sloping edges so that wildlife can get in and out. There are fantastic guides to creating a pond available, such as the Wildlife Pond Book, and once your pond is up and running you can even try some pond dipping. It is not recommended to collect frogspawn from the wild, but you can encourage amphibians into your garden by providing damp areas such as log piles or a frog and toad house.
Watching Wildlife
Having attracted wildlife to your garden, there are several ways you can get fantastic views up close. Binoculars give you a great view of wildlife that is further away, but with close focus distances now much improved, they also offer a great way of magnifying insects and aquatic invertebrates. Read our blog post to find out how to choose a pair of binoculars. Alternatively, trail cameras can be used very effectively in gardens to record garden visitors such as hedgehogs and birds. These standalone weatherproof cameras use passive infrared to detect passing warm-bodied animals and take either still photographs or videos. For more information on trail cameras, see our blog post on how to choose a trail camera. For a really close-up insight into what the wildlife in your garden is doing, consider installing a nest box camera. See our guide on how to choose a nest box camera for advice on the different options. A hedgehog nest box camera can also give you really amazing footage of hedgehogs feeding and nesting.
By providing food resources and suitable habitat for wildlife, you can ensure that your garden becomes a sanctuary for the animals around you and a spectacle of nature right on your doorstep.
This offers a fresh and unique perspective on ponds, encouraging readers of any budget to reach for the spade and do something positive to benefit their shared neighbourhood nature.
Even the smallest garden can be an important haven for wildlife, and this authoritative guide enables everyone to explore this wealth on their back doorstep. It covers all the main animal groups – including pond life – likely to be found in a garden in Great Britain and Ireland.
This guide can help you create an aquatic habitat in your garden, home to stunning, brightly coloured damsel- and dragonflies with iridescent eyes, amphibians which choose to breed, and birds and mammals of many kinds that come to drink at such placid waters, including hedgehogs
Building your own nestbox and watching a pair of birds raise a successful brood will bring pleasure to the whole family, and this book provides all you need to know to get started. Written by Dave Cromack and drawing on the BTO’s expertise, this provides the perfect guide to building, erecting and monitoring nestboxes for a broad range of bird species.
Aimed at KS2 and above, this 8-page fold-out chart is a fully illustrated key to help users identify the main animal groups found in freshwater. None of the identification in the key goes beyond family level, and some of it stays at the phylum or class.
For each box we have provided a quick guide to the material that it is made from, the dimensions, and the species that the box is suitable for. Follow the links provided for more information about the box, including pricing and availability, or contact our customer services team for more advice.
• Made from: Recycled plastic and FSC oriented strand board
• Dimensions: 260 x 170 x 170mm
• Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Marsh Tits, Great Tits, Crested Tits, Tree Sparrows, House Sparrows, Nuthatches and Pied Flycatchers (species depend on entrance hole size).
• Made from: Woodstone
• Dimensions: 310 x 200 x 200mm
• Suitable for: Coal Tits, Blue Tits, Marsh Tits, Crested Tits, Redstart, Nuthatches, Pied Flycatchers, House Sparrows, Tree Sparrows
This is the final post in a three part series, designed to help you choose from our bestselling bird boxes. All of the boxes listed below are suitable for building into the masonry of a new build or development.
For each box we have provided a quick guide to the material that it is made from, the box dimensions and the species that it is suitable for. Follow the links provided for full descriptions, pricing and availability, or contact our customer services team to chat about finding the box that’s right for your needs.
• Made from: Woodcrete
• Dimensions: 235 x 180 x 180mm
• Suitable for: Great Tits, Blue Tits, Marsh Tits, Coal Tits, Crested Tits, Redstart, Nuthatches, Tree Sparrows and House Sparrows
So, you have the perfect space in mind for a bird box but don’t know which one to buy? No problem – this is the first in a series of three posts designed to help you make the right choice.
This article includes a list of our top 10 bird boxes for positioning on a tree in a garden, park or woodland. The following two articles will cover the best bird boxes for positioning on a wall or fence and for building into a new build or development.
For each box we have provided a quick guide to the material that it is made from, the dimensions of the box and the species that it is suitable for. Follow the links for more information about each item, or contact us to speak to one of our customer services advisors who can provide you with help in choosing the right product.
• Made from: Woodcrete
• Dimensions: 230 x 160 x 160mm
• Suitable for: Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Marsh Tits, Crested Tits, Great Tits, Nuthatches, Tree Sparrows, House Sparrows, Redstart (species depend on entrance size and shape).
• Made from: Woodstone
• Dimensions: 240 x 190 x 175mm
• Suitable for: Wrens, Robins, Spotted Flycatchers, Pied and Grey Wagtails, Song Thrushes and Blackbirds.
• Made from: Plywood
• Dimensions: 300 x 130 x 150mm
• Suitable for: Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Marsh Tits, Treecreepers, Tree Sparrows, Great Tits, Crested Tits, Nuthatches and Pied Flycatchers (species depends on entrance size).
• Made from: Woodcrete
• Dimensions: 510 x 160 x 180mm
• Suitable for: Nuthatches, Redstart, Tree Sparrows, House Sparrows, Pied Flycatchers, Blue Tits, Marsh Tits, Great Tits (species depends on entrance size).
