Woodland 2500X1500

DIY wildlife action - help our wildlife from home

16th Nov 2020

Bird Box DIY Web

If you have an outdoor space you might like to take this opportunity to create some habitats for wildlife during lockdown.

Whether it’s a wildflower wellington, hedgehog houses or toad abodes, all are welcome features in a garden and many on a balcony too.

Hedgehog DIY Web

Here are a few ideas

Hedgehog House – Whether you live in town or country, you can help to look after garden wildlife like hedgehogs by providing food, water and shelter. See: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/how-build-hedgehog-home and https://blog.gardenwildlifedirect.co.uk/how-to-help-hedgehogs/
Bat box – Putting up a bat box gives these night-time creatures somewhere safe to roost, raise their pups and sleep during the day. See: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/how-build-bat-box
Bug hotel – Leave piles of rocks, twigs and rotting wood in your garden. This will create shelter for all sorts of important insects, such as beetles and spiders.
Bird feeders + nest boxes – By installing bird boxes and feeders you can make sure they thrive. Put your bird box up high in a sheltered site. If cats are around, place your feeder near a dense bush to provide birds with cover.
Pond – It doesn’t have to be huge, you can use a buried bucket or trough, just make sure there are stones or branches to help wildlife get in and out. See: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/how-build-pond
Compost – Making and using your own compost will naturally enrich your soil. It will also provide a habitat for worms, woodlice and many other insects, including frogs and slow worms. To avoid attracting rats, only use raw food. See: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=444

Bug Hotel DIY Web

Other ideas

  • Draw/paint a picture of your favourite Wildwood animal and send it to us.
  • Post a photo you have taken at Wildwood and tag us in.
  • Make a top 5 of the best wildlife films or documentaries and share them with Wildwood and your friends.
  • Help to survey and record wildlife from your home. More information at Kent & Medway Biological Records Centre (KMBRC)
  • Improve your wildlife identification skills through tracks, scats, food sources, habitats etc. Make sure to check out our Conservation Courses when lockdown ends to develop these skills further and/or check out these websites:

Kent Mammal Group
Kent Bat Group
Buglife
Bumblebee Conservation Trust
Plantlife
Butterfly Conservation
Kent Reptile and Amphibian Group
Woodland Trust
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

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