Wildlife Homes for 6 Animals and Birds



Untitled design 5

Wildlife Homes for Endangered Animals and Birds

Barn Owls

Barn Owl Trust

Many of our favourite animals and birds are under pressure through loss of their natural habitat or the depletion of the creatures they feed on.

We can help their fight for survival by providing them with suitable homes. In this article I have outlined ways to build  wildlife homes for hedgehogs, tits, bugs, doves, barn owls and bats.

 

Quality Wellness Products at Affordable Prices

Down rev

 

Highest Quality

Also An Outstanding Business Opportunity 

Down revat
LiveGood logo 1

 

Hedgehog House

Hedgehog edited GoostreyThe home of hedgehogs is at the bottom of hedgerows (surprise, surprise!), under fallen logs or in scrubland, particularly where you find brambles.

Make sure you use untreated, unpainted, timber……..larch, Douglas fir or cedar are ideal…… for your hedgehog house.

Don’t nail down the lid as you will want to clean out the house in March or early April.

Here are the plans for a house courtesy of Hedgehog Street

Hedgehogs are very dear to our hearts. We’re so lucky that they visit us every night from the third week of March to mid November.

Making A Hedgehog House

Hedgehog House

 

Bird Boxes

There are so many bird house designs to choose from ranging from palatial,,,,

Bird Table palatial

Palatial robrendallcarpenter.co.uk

to colourful…

poppy birdhouse

Colourful

to the simply mundane

Bird House

Mundane suncatcherstudio.com


To review a huge range of bird houses visit……

Bird Houses

Here is a plan for a simple bird house………

Bird House Plan

mycarpentry.com

A 6 foot long by 1″ x 6″ cedar fence board was used to build this house. The entrance hole is 11/2″ diameter and it was assembled using 11/2″ galvanised finish nails.

 


Wildlife Home for Bugs

Ladybird

gardenersmag.com

Bugs are important to the health of your garden…..

  • Ladybirds and lace wings love to eat the aphids who are destroying your plants

  • Bees pollinate your flowers and blossom ensuring a bountiful crop of fruit and vegetables

  • There are a huge number of ground beetles, who feast on slugs, snails and maggots

To learn  take a look at more about friendly bugs 22 Beneficial Insects to Protect Your Garden

So it makes sense to encourage them to live in your garden. How can you do that….by making a bug hotel of course!

Bug House woodland Trust

Bug Hotel woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/

For the frame of your hotel you could upcycle old book shelves…..

Bug hostel

Upcycled book shelves

Now you have to collect the nesting materials for your resident bugs….

Pack your hotel with bamboo sticks, hollow plant stems. blocks of wood with holes drilled at least 6″ deep, straw, leaves, the odd brick, pine cones…

 

Dovecotes

In medieval times pigeons and doves were highly prized as sources of meat and eggs, manure and their feathers filled mattresses, pillows and cushions.

Medieval dovecote

Garway, Herefordshire robinsongarden.co.uk

Many large country houses and monastries had impressive stone dovecotes like this one at Garway in Herefordshire.

Today wooden, post mounted dovecotes are an impressive addition to any garden.

 

 


You will find comprehensive plans and step by step instructions to build your own dovecote at dovecoteplans.com

blue dovecote

dovecoteplans.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Barn Owl House

The population of barn owls in the UK has declined significantly since the Second World War. There are a couple of reasons for this.


Barn Owls

Barn Owl Trust

Firstly the depletion of small mammals on farmland due to the use of pesticides and intensive farming.Hopefully this lack of food will be reversed by the Goverment’s Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS). which will be rolled out shortly.

Secondly, the lack of suitable roosting sites as barns are converted into dwellings.  This problem can be addressed to some extent by installing roosting boxes.

Use 9mm ply and 50mm x 25mm battens for your box, which should be made to the dimensions shown below. (with thanks to The Barn Owl Trust UK)

Barn Owl Nesting

Barn Owl Trust Wildlife Homes

The 450mm drop from the entrance hole to the base of the box is extremely important. It prevents owlets leaving the box too early and being predated or injuring themselves by falling from the box.

There is a lot of useful information on the Barn Owl Trust website about erecting a box and different types of wildlife homes…..outside, inside and pole mounted.

uss1

Bat Boxes

Bat Box

Bat Box Ark Wildlife

A favourite place for bats to roost is in the roof space of domestic dwellings. Nowadays houses are so well sealed to prevent heat loss that it is difficult for bats to gain access to their customary haunts.

So you are doing them a huge favour by installing a bat box where they can sleep during the day and raise their pups.

Use 20mm thick, rough sawn, untreated timber which they can easily grip on to. Make the joints really tight to exclude draughts.

Bat House plans 1

 

Bat House Plans 2

 

You can cut horizontal grooves in the back plate to help your bat clamber into his cosy home. you could make the box wider and divide it into two, so a mating couple can keep themselves company!

Enjoy making your wildlife homes.

You may like to look at my Pinterest boards

Other posts you may be interested in if you liked wildlife homes……

Enhance Outdoor Living with 10 Self Build Projects

15 Small Woodworking Projects

Quality Wellness Products at Affordable Prices

Down rev

 

Highest Quality

Also An Outstanding Business Opportunity 

Down revat
LiveGood logo 1

What’s your Reaction?
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0

Ian

I have always loved wood crafts. In my teens it was model gliders, ships in bottles, puppets, wooden toys.... Then I had to earn a crust and became a civil engineer designing and building bridges, motorways, schools...until I became a video producer. On retiring I started making dolls houses but now I am a blogger concentrating on my love of wood.

Do share your thoughts on this post