Topic: Wildlife Habitat.

[Emagggie]

  Click on pic for a better view.

Thanks to Supersprout and Lottielady for the idea in a previous thread-I just couldn't resist!!

Lots to do yet, so many nooks and crannies to fill even though I sawed the pallets in half to make it smaller.Found an abandoned corrugated tube yesterday (from a sapling probably) and cut it in half,stuffed it with straw in the hopes that hedgehogs will take up residence and dine on the slugs.
Contemplating what to plant round it to make it a bit more secluded.
Off to drill holes in logs today.

[GREENWIZARD]

love it & so will all the creepy crawlies  ;D

[Emagggie]

Thankyou, GW, going up later to do a bit more. :)

[GREENWIZARD]

try not to disturb the lodgers ;) :)

[cambourne7]

HI

You can see photo of my wildlife habitat and photos of us all making it

http://s109.photobucket.com/albums/n61/cambourne7/

ok i am taking the photos but i did help honest  :-)

cambourne7

[Emagggie]

Wow, Cambourne, that looks a very substantial piece of work!!Was it recently, and have you noticed anybody moving in??

[cambourne7]

nope, going 2 try and adopt a couple of hedgehogs

[GREENWIZARD]

fantastic c7 ;D

[tezz brown]

maggie,thats just great,..can you build one for me,..i can just see meself  sat there in me rocking chair smoking me pipe and wearing me old trilby hat on a nice sunny day and happy as larry,..lovely

[cambourne7]

The wildlife habitat is at the back, and its been interlaced with old bits of roofing felt so its bone dry inside. We have scooped out some soil before be started building it and added lots of straw and streaded paper. And we had sunflowers sticking out of it to get the birds in.

We were very lucky we have someone from the wildlife trust and the black and gold project helping us. You should try contacting your local wildlife trust they might be able to come and help you build one tezz!

As yet i cant see anyone living in there, we did have a hedgehog but he died. We know we have mice but they prefer sheds :-) There is lots of slugs and snails on the site and i have put one of 2 peices of the spoiled veg ( courgettes mostly ) which the slugs seam to like near the habitat so i know there is food there for them.

There rest of the wood was comunal compost bays, and one for horse manure to be dropped off by a local farm and another bay for wood chips we get from a tree surgon ( in addition to a large truck full were getting from free felling on the A428 upgrade )

There is a gap either side of the compost bins so that theres plenty of access and were going to plant up one of the paths with a wildflower mix ( got 2 free packets from BBC radio cambridgeshire) and with the comfry i got from the plant swap i am going to plant some up by the compost bins so that people who dont have comfry on there plot can take some or it can be added to the compost  - YUM!

I just have to find a way of getting the signs to stay in place even tryed laminating it.

I think i am going to get some of the chip board i have on my plot and cut it into 1ft by 1ft peices and selotape the laminated signs to the wood then cover with plastic. If i pin though the laminated sign it lets the water though. So covering it in plastic sheeting allows extra protection and i should have enough from what i saved when my sofa was delivered :-)

[Emagggie]

maggie,thats just great,..can you build one for me,..i can just see meself  sat there in me rocking chair smoking me pipe and wearing me old trilby hat on a nice sunny day and happy as larry,..lovely

Thanks,Tezz. oh all right then, but make that 2 chairs and 2 bottles of something cold............. ;D

[Emagggie]

Cambourne, just a thought, why don't you paint your signs on wood or whatever you intend to use?
Creosote mixed with engine oil and painted on wood will stay forever and look in keeping,methinks. ;)
Or, (another thought) get someone to burn the words in. Don't know how it's done, but it looks good.
Or, (brain really chugging) do all the letters in straight lines and chisel them out and then paint the inners with creosote or stain. 8)

[cambourne7]

The signs as they stand are all A4 and containn lots of words and tips etc as most are new to the joys of composting.

[Emagggie]

Ah, I thought you were making one word signs. Laminating  seems about the only answer then. Best of luck !!!

[supersprout]

only just caught up with this cambourne, it's brilliant! I'd like to make one of those, have enough pallets, do let us know if you see the wildlife taking advantage/notice the effect on veggie munchers.

Seriously beautiful, very envious, but so glad you took these pics so we can see how to do it!
SSx

[cambourne7]

only tip is to collect the pipes etc before you do it.

Drill holes in any logs

nail the pallets together.

:-)

[Toadspawn]

There is one of these at Garden Organic at Ryton. Saw it in the summer before anything found it necessary to find winter shelter so no signs of life.  Maybe someone there would know how effective it is.

[Emagggie]

Thankyou for that info Toadspawn, I may make enquiries.I'm secretly hoping something has made use of my efforts in this chilly weather. Going for a looksee tomorrow, no chance earlier in the week.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Don't use creosote, it's seriously bad for wildlife. It's better to leave the wood untreated so boring insects can make use of it. Then build a new one in a few years when the old gets too decayed.

[gardenqueen]

What a brilliant habitat! I shall have to make use of the old roof ridge tiles OH has behind his shed! I'm sure I could make them cosy for hedgehogs at least.