Born to be Wild in Bude - News

Even though Christmas is just around the corner don’t forget to spare a thought for our wildlife, in fact Christmas could be the ideal time to help. You know what it’s like when someone asks you ‘what would you like for Christmas?’ and you reply ‘oh, I don’t know’ because you feel embarrassed and don’t like asking for anything, or maybe you don’t need anything. Well, this year why not say, ‘how about something for the garden wildlife!’ How about a bird table or nesting box; a bat box or hedgehog house; or even a bumblebee box?

You could ask for a bird feeder or bird seed and nuts or even a supply of fat balls to keep the birds fed all winter. You could ask for a pair of binoculars to watch them. You don’t have to be a professional twitcher to enjoy your own garden visitors, I use mine out of my kitchen window most of the time. So please keep feeding the birds this winter as they need a break, summer was very cruel to them and with all the rain thousands of babies got wet and died. Let’s hope 2008 will be kinder to all our wildlife.

Please still keep a look out for small hedgehogs they may not be able to survive hibernation. If you are not sure give me a call. I already have 7 juveniles to over-winter; they will be kept until spring and then released. If you would like to help you can always donate a tin of cat or dog food; they can be dropped of at Locke and Preston Vets on the Strand, Bude.

Like any wildlife enthusiast, I love finding wildlife in my garden and still get a thrill finding large warty toads or slippery slow worms when gardening and you don’t have to spend lots of money making homes for all these creatures. Some habitats are quiet easy to make. An old whole paving slab could provide a hibernation site for amphibians. Scoop out some earth under the centre of the slab and make a tunnel to the outside of it so the slab ends up hiding a cave with a secret entrance.

Old rabbit hutches can also be turned into a hedgehog house. Thoroughly clean out and disinfect the hutch and make sure it is totally dry before putting anything in it Some clean dry straw can be added, not too much as you want the hedgehog to do the work and make their home the way they want it. Most hutches have a bed area and small run. The door to the run could be removed, leaving the other door as that will create a nice cosy bedroom. Then hide the hutch in a sheltered spot in your garden facing away of the preverbal winds. Then it’s simply a case of sitting back and waiting for a prickly friend to take up residence.

How about making a New Years Resolution: to make your garden more wildlife friendly:

• Put up a bird or bat box
• Get a bird table or bird bath
• Build a woodpile or compost heap
• Make a wildlife pond
• Plant fruiting shrubs that provide food
• Plant trees or wild flowers
• Whatever you decide to do enjoy your garden and help our wildlife.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR
TO YOU AND ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL