Wildlife gardens

My wildlife garden at the barn owls pre-school.

I have just completed my first wildlife garden,The garden is at the Barn owls pre school at the chawson barn in Droitwich spa.Over the last three months i have totally transformed the area at the barn.When i first took on the project,The area had never been touched and it was no more than a mass of stinging nettles and rubble.Their was even an area that the neighbours had used to through their branches over from their silver birch tree.The first operation was to tackle the over hanging trees that were towering over the wall at the back of the garden.Then we removed the two compost bins that were in place(they were no more than waste bins).We then took away all of the branches and the rubble that were on the garden.(all of this was making the area look more like a rubbish tip than a wildlife garden).Then came the task of digging the whole area over.In all we dug the whole area five times with forks and spades.After taking care of removing all of the rubbish, we could then concentrate on actually returning the garden to a wildlife area for people to enjoy.After doing all of this we then marked out the area that i wanted for the borders so i could then put all of the different types of garden in that i wanted.


Another picture of the wildlife garden on a overcast day.

The wildlife garden would compromise of 1,Digging/planting area for the children. 2,Compost bin. 3,Bird feeder. 4,Log pile. 5,Stone pile. 6,Spring flower area. 7,Sensory garden. 8,Painted side wall. 9,Wildflower area. 10,Insect and butterfly boxes. 11,Re-seed the lawn area. 12,Insect tower. 13,Apply bark over all of the borders. 14,Put a log pile around the bird feeder. 15,Beetle bucket.After completing all of these and a lot of watering,We were finished.The garden looks superb now,A lot of effort but it was well worth it, as we have had house sparrows return already,Common blue butterflies,Small white butterflies and a cardinal beetle to name but four things to be seen in our garden.If anyone is interested in me doing a wild life garden for them they can contact me on 01905773313 or e-mail me via this blog.

the mustelidae family

Part seven the badger.

A male badger is called a boar and a female badger is called a sow.Badgers are omnivorous meaning that they eat both plants and meat.They live in family groups in setts under the ground. They start to emerge from these setts at dusk when the sun is setting.The badger has a black and white head,with small white tipped ears.They have strong forepaws with long claws making a wonderful adaptation for digging.The boar`s body and head is about seventy six centimeters in length with a fifteen centimeter tail,The sow is slightly smaller.The old English name for the badger is the brocc.Badgers mate from the end of winter right up to October, But the implantation of the fertilized egg is delayed until December so all of the cubs are born at roughly the same time. Their is usually between two or three cubs in one single litter. The cubs are then born underground in a breeding chamber,between the end of January and the middle of march.The cubs remain underground for about eight weeks. The cubs are born blind, They remain blind for about five weeks. Weaning starts after about twelve weeks.Badgers will spend most of winter in their setts underground,They do not hibernate but live of fat reserves that have been built up since Autumn.They live mainly in woodlands in their extensive setts with many tunnels,They may also live on large Commons and fields,(you may also see them within some urban areas).You can sometimes see straw bedding by their setts where they have taken clean bedding into the sett, This is because they change the bedding on a regular basis. Their diet consists mainly of earthworms and beetles, But they will also eat cereals,blue bell bulbs,autumn fruit and small mammals. They may live for up to fifteen years in the wild. They mark their territory with dung pits called latrines. They will have a well established territory that may have been passed down from previous generations. Look out for their pathways from the sett black and white hairs are a give away as well on barbed wire,., It will be well trodden and defended from outsiders. Badgers from the same sett will mark each other with their scent, This process is called musking. They will all groom each other and the young cubs can be very playful in their early years. A tree close to the sett will be used for them to sharpen their forepaws. Some of the young cubs will stay with the family group, But others will move away to sett up their own territories,Some will leave at their first winter but others will leave the family group when they are still quite young during their first summer. As badgers love elderberries there are normally quite a few bushes growing by the sett as they disperse the seeds in their droppings.Because of the soil being enriched with their droppings their will always be a huge number of stinging nettles as well.They like the soil around the setts to be well drained so it makes it easier for them to dig the tunnels for their setts, Large setts may have between thirty and forty entrances.A great time to watch badgers in the wild is between the middle of February and the end of march, As they start to emerge from their setts.

photo periodic pelage reaction

In the u.k there are four animals that turn white in winter,ptarmigan,mountain hare,stoat and the weasel. They do this to avoid predation from golden eagles in the cairngorms. Photo periodism- The eye records the local day lengths and this is the photo-periodism, they then communicate this information to the brain, which then relays it to their hormonal or the endocrym system. This then produce`s a compound called melatonin. This compound inhibits the production of pigments so when they moult the new feathers and fur come through white. The speed of change is not controlled by the day length but by the air temperature. They will go whiter quicker at higher altitudes. Because of genetic factors, Southern weasels and stoats couldn't`t go white anymore. There are microscopic sub structures of bubbles in the ptarmigans feathers to keep them warmer. Mountain hare`s coats are thicker in winter and when a stoat moults it goes whiter from the feet and belly first, This is because they are closer to the ground and it keeps the stoat warmer.The reverse happens in winter with the stoats nose going white first followed by the rest of its body down to its feet.

Things to look out for in may

night
A peacock butterfly.

All of our birds are busy finishing their nests and getting ready for their chicks to be born.Swifts are now back after their epic journey from Africa, Amazingly these birds only land to have their clutch. They do everything on the wing from feeding to sleeping.Hedgerows come alive during this month with flowers like cow parsley,Lords and ladies,Hogweed,Goose grass,Hedge woundwart,herb robert and greater stitchwort.Fox cubs can be seen with their mother(the vixen),look out for them by their earth.Horse chestnut blossom is wonderful at this time of year,Also the
catkins on a oak tree are also glorious,Look out for the larger male flowers and the smaller female flowers behind the male flower.May flies start to emerge from rivers and streams during may.They emerge as sub adults from the water,They actually cast their old skins as they leave the water.Reed and sedge warblers start to build up their territories along rivers and canals during may.Bank and field voles have had a litter by now so look out for their young along hedgerows.Small red damselflies may be seen coming into your garden to look for water during dry spells.Blue and great tits will be busily feeding their young with tiny green caterpillars,Both parent birds feed their young,They may have up to twelve eggs in their clutch.The young chicks may be getting ready to fledge by the end of may or the beginning of June.Froglets will be getting ready to leave their breeding grounds soon,look out for them,but look carefully as they are extremely small.Badger cubs start to emerge during may as well,They will be seen feeding outside of their earth,This may only be for a short period though to start with.Hedgehogs may be seen on warm spring evenings in wonderful courtship displays with each other.They come out late at night looking for each other,But be aware these courtships can be very noisy with snuffling and snorting sounds.And finally the bug of the month goes to the common cockchafer or may bug,They may be seen at night near any artificial light during may.Also listen out for the wonderful call of the nightingale in deciduous woodlands .

the mustelidae family

part six the otter

Everyone`s favourite animal must be the otter,they just look so cute and cuddly and are magnificent to watch.Land otters are nocturnal whereas sea otters are not and actually come out in the daytime,Although their have been more sightings recently of land otters coming out during the day.Otters are making a great come back and are now said to be in every county in England,Of course this is magnificent as somebody said in the Birmingham area in the mid eighties that because midland waters were so polluted, you would never see otters in our local rivers again.If you are trying to catch a glimpse of otters you must remember a few key points, Firstly always make sure the wind is blowing towards you as your scent will blow towards the otters if blowing against you and disturb them, Secondly always where clothing that will blend in well with the surroundings where you are watching the otters and thirdly always keep your profile low when watching from a short distance away from the otters.Extra green grass growing in a circle may give a clue that its an otters spraint and the otters are nearer by.Otters live in a holt,Which will normally be in good cover by a river or a stream or at the coast,The holt may be close to some roots from a old tree on the river bank.The otters will have a slide on the bank as a way to get into the river.Fish is a otters main food,But they will also eat eels and frogs,small mammals and some waterside birds,and as they are really strong swimmers they may catch quite a few fish, but trout and Salmon normally move to fast for them.They have large lungs to aid their underwater activities,When they dive they can slow down their oxygen consumption by slowing down their heartbeats.Otters can live for up to twenty years in the wild.The dog (MALE) and bitch (female) otter are streamlined for speed in the water,having small ears and a long body,with a powerful,tapering tail and short,strong legs with webbed feet.The dog is about ninety centimeter's long with a forty centimeter tail, The bitch is slightly smaller.Otters can breed all year round with the bitch being on heat for about two weeks every thirty to forty days. The cubs are born blind after about a sixty two day gestation period,They are born in the holt and will normally number between three and five..They can open their eyes after about four weeks.The holt will normally be lined with moss and grass.The otter cubs will stay with their mother for up to fifteen months,The dog otter has no active role in bringing the cubs up.Otters communicate through whistling to each other,If you watch otters you may hear them whistling to each other.The bitch will teach the cubs to swim after they leave the holt,This is when the cubs fur coat has changed from the grey fluffy coat they are born with,To the waterproof coats.Their coat is something they constantly groom.When the cubs finally leave their mothers territory they then set up their own territories.