Your Wildlife Garden. Jackie Bennett
for them. In towns, where trees are scarce, or in brand new gardens, nest boxes are vital and it is worth trying to include several types in different positions.
CHOOSING A BOX
The type of bird you want to attract will determine the type of nesting box — anything from a simple wooden ledge to a large owl box. The ones made from wood, in natural colours, are preferable as they will not advertise the birds’ location to potential predators. Some shops and garden centres sell combined nest box and feeding tables. This is a nice idea but it is also very unlikely that a bird would nest in such a prominent position.
SITING THE BOX
Try to put it in view of a window, so you can watch the occupants without disturbing them. It should be put at least 3m (10ft) from the ground, out of reach of cats and other predators. Walls are safer than trees to some degree as cats find them difficult to climb. Try the boxes at different heights to see which species use them. Some birds, like kestrels, naturally nest at roof-top level or even higher. Make sure all boxes face north, east or south-east, to avoid strong sun and driving rain.
CONSTRUCTING THE NEST BOX
FIXING THE BOX
AFTERCARE
Once a pair of birds has adopted the box, it should not be inspected or disturbed. Although it is tempting to keep checking on the progress of eggs and chicks, you risk frightening off the parents altogether. Instead keep a watch on the box and note down which species used it and when. Note also when the young birds leave the box, as they may return to roost there for a few weeks after leaving. In some years, a pair of birds will rear more than one brood.
In the autumn, when you are certain the box has been vacated, clear out the old nesting material which can harbour parasites.
Pied wagtail
READY-MADE NEST BOXES
Ready-made boxes and detailed plans for making a range of specialised nest boxes can be obtained from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)
MARCH
This is a time of great activity in the garden, as the weather softens and many species of wildlife begin their breeding cycles. In warmer areas frogs will have already laid their spawn, but in others the noisy calls of the males indicate that mating is still under way. Toads usually spawn later than frogs and newts last of all. Toad spawn is easily identifiable as the long double strands of eggs, as opposed to the frogs’ clumps of jelly and the newts’ eggs laid singly on pondweed. There are many threats to the developing young which may prevent them reaching maturity, but perhaps the greatest loss is the large number of adult toads killed each year by cars, as they migrate across roads to their traditional breeding ponds.
Mammals tend to be out of sight this month with fox and badger cubs being born underground. Birds are also busy building nests and defending their territories against intruders. Nesting material is drawn from a wide variety of garden sources, including grass stems, strips of bark, dead leaves and moss taken from the lawn. A slightly unkempt garden or one with a good compost heap is a richer source of nesting material than one which is clinically neat and tidy.
The onset of spring is signalled by a flush of yellow flowers. The vivid yellows of celandines, narcissus and primula seem to act as a beacon to insects emerging from hibernation to seek pollen. The true wild daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) is generally later to emerge than the garden species and may not appear until next month. It is smaller and less ostentatious than its hybridised cousins and perfectly suited to the wildlife garden.
tasks
FOR THE
month
INTRODUCING FROGS AND TOADS
If the garden pond has no amphibians, it is possible to ‘import’ frog, toad or newt spawn from other ponds. This is the only way to increase the population as it is inadvisable to move tadpoles and quite cruel to move adults from their home pond. Take a bucketful of water, pond weed and spawn from a neighbouring pond. It is best to take more than you need as some batches of spawn will not survive the change of water temperature.
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