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Wildlife & Nature
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Majordennisbloodnok
 Majordennisbloodnok
(@majordennisbloodnok)
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Topic starter 18/05/2022 3:53 pm  

I'm interested of any thoughts any of you have about giving wildlife a helping hand. We've a pond, a couple of nesting boxes, a (seemingly unused) hedgehog shelter and a multitude of bird feeding stations, but we're also open to any new and interesting additions.

Anyone doing anything slightly different and interesting?

105 m2 bungalow in South East England
Mitsubishi Ecodan 8.5 kW air source heat pump
18 x 360W solar panels
1 x 6 kW GroWatt battery and inverter
1 x Myenergi Zappi
1 x VW ID3
Raised beds for home-grown veg and chickens for eggs

"Semper in excretia; suus solum profundum variat"


   
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 robl
(@robl)
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18/05/2022 5:13 pm  

Don't cut or weedkiller your lawn?  I really like that one, it's so easy!  Have to cut it at some point I guess, I think they say June?

We have a family of foxes under next doors shed... the cubs are super cute, but there's not so many squirrels anymore!

Put a bell on your cat?  We have a dog, she has a bell these days when she's in the back garden so she can't surprise the foxes!  


   
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Majordennisbloodnok
 Majordennisbloodnok
(@majordennisbloodnok)
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Topic starter 18/05/2022 6:50 pm  
Posted by: @robl

Don't cut or weedkiller your lawn?  I really like that one, it's so easy!  Have to cut it at some point I guess, I think they say June?

We have a family of foxes under next doors shed... the cubs are super cute, but there's not so many squirrels anymore!

Put a bell on your cat?  We have a dog, she has a bell these days when she's in the back garden so she can't surprise the foxes!  

Interesting suggestions, @robl.

We certainly don’t weedkill our lawns but do mulch mow them reasonably regularly. That said, we have set aside a couple of beds for wildflowers, so we’re being fairly species-friendly.

As for the cats, we’ve given up getting them to wear anything and there are at least loads of mice for them to work on in preference to the birds. Since we have chickens, the foxes aren’t welcome round ours, and our youngest cat takes that to heart, chasing the foxes away. Not sure if that’s eco-friendly pest control or not.

105 m2 bungalow in South East England
Mitsubishi Ecodan 8.5 kW air source heat pump
18 x 360W solar panels
1 x 6 kW GroWatt battery and inverter
1 x Myenergi Zappi
1 x VW ID3
Raised beds for home-grown veg and chickens for eggs

"Semper in excretia; suus solum profundum variat"


   
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Mars
 Mars
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18/05/2022 8:43 pm  

We’re very fortunate to be surrounded by wildlife without having to do much. My wife has, however, gone out of her way to feed the wild birds around us. We now have two families of mallards on our pond (with about 12 males) and two families of moorhens. Song birds are plentiful too.

With her feeding the ducks and ducklings, the pheasants are now sticking around and we have loads of them now too. Feeding them is relatively cheap - wheat and cut maize from our country store. They help with slug control.

The biggest contribution has, however, been letting large portions of our field go wild. We cut mulch a large chunk of our daily garden area, but we’ve let an acre “go” and it’s been amazing to see how nature just does its thing. This is the third year, and the wild flowers are different again this year. Admittedly there are loads of nettles, brambles, thistles and other ‘weeds’ but nature loves them. The insect life is thriving so the food chain is supported. We have pollinators aplenty. 

We have also created a new wild zone within our every day garden (probably 10x10m) that we are planting out with field flowers and plants that produce loads of pollen to again support insect life.

Buy Bodge Buster – Homeowner Air Source Heat Pump Installation Guide: https://amzn.to/3NVndlU
From Zero to Heat Pump Hero: https://amzn.to/4bWkPFb

Follow our sustainability journey at My Home Farm:https://kirstenandmars.com


   
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Mars
 Mars
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18/05/2022 8:46 pm  

@robl, I guess cats can be a problem when it comes to birds. Our male cat occasionally catches a vole that he eats in its entirety, but it’s amazing how accustomed and accepting he’s become of the other wildlife and loves to watch them, but never tries to hunt. I guess we’re quite lucky in that regard.

Buy Bodge Buster – Homeowner Air Source Heat Pump Installation Guide: https://amzn.to/3NVndlU
From Zero to Heat Pump Hero: https://amzn.to/4bWkPFb

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Mars
 Mars
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18/05/2022 8:50 pm  

@majordennisbloodnok, you could consider planting a crab apple tree. Blackbirds, robins, starlings, finches and crows love them, as do field mice, voles, foxes and badgers. Crab apples can also be home to over 90 species of insects.

https://myhomefarm.co.uk/a-malus-with-a-view

 

Buy Bodge Buster – Homeowner Air Source Heat Pump Installation Guide: https://amzn.to/3NVndlU
From Zero to Heat Pump Hero: https://amzn.to/4bWkPFb

Follow our sustainability journey at My Home Farm:https://kirstenandmars.com


   
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Majordennisbloodnok
 Majordennisbloodnok
(@majordennisbloodnok)
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Topic starter 19/05/2022 2:14 pm  

Thanks, @editor

Although we haven’t thought about crab apples (not enough recipes we’d use), we have been discussing other fruit trees. Might put some more focused thought into that.

105 m2 bungalow in South East England
Mitsubishi Ecodan 8.5 kW air source heat pump
18 x 360W solar panels
1 x 6 kW GroWatt battery and inverter
1 x Myenergi Zappi
1 x VW ID3
Raised beds for home-grown veg and chickens for eggs

"Semper in excretia; suus solum profundum variat"


   
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