Lots going on so far this month, continuing on from a very busy end to September. We have had a recent spell of people reporting escapee cage birds from the commonly kept such as zebra finches and cockatiels to the unusual in the form of lilac-breasted roller, as you can see from the link, a very exotic bird to find in the UK and a first for us here in wildlife enquiries! In situations where likely zoo or aviary escapees are found our advice is usually to make local enquiries (zoos, pet shops, local papers and radio) and to notify the RSPCA.
We have also been speaking to many people recently about concerns over local developments. We provide guidance on how to protect local wildlife sites from threatening developments, you can find out more on our website here. You may also wish to check out the casework pages to see the current priority cases the RSPB are involved with throughout the UK.
October is a great time to give your nesting boxes a clean out. The best way to go about this is to first check to make sure they are not still in use by garden birds. If nobody is home then open the box carefully, sometimes boxes can be home to insects and spiders which might make a sharp exit if disturbed! Firstly, remove the old nesting material, you can leave it under a nearby shrub to decompose naturally, this will remove the risk of harmful parasites hiding in the box. Give the inside of the box a good rinse and then allow it to air dry. We recommend putting the box back into place so that wintering garden birds can use it to roost in and hopefully stick around to nest in the following spring. Now is also a great time to put up additional boxes, maybe think about atttracting a new species this year such as a house martin, starling or swift, you can get these boxes from our online shop.
Lots of people are finding frogs and hedgehogs on the move at this time of year, these animals will be looking to find a safe place to hibernate in the next few weeks. Its a great time to create log piles, wildlife stacks and hibernacula as well as making use of the falling leaves to provide extra cover and for these garden favourites. Check out our Homes for Wildlife advice about building homes for mammals and amphibians, if you are tempted then go for it, get your hands dirty whilst the sun is still shining!
Warden Intern at Otmoor.