From the Cumbernauld News and Kilsyth Chronicle

20th February 2002.

   Scottish Natural Heritage and North Lanarkshire Council are
working in partnership with 29 other organisations to protect and
encourage wildlife in North Lanarkshire.

   The Local Biodiversity Action Partnership (LBAP) would like to
help the community enjoy the wildlife that is on their doorsteps by
giving practical ideas to encourage wildlife to visit their gardens.

   If you would like to see some more wildlife in your garden this
year, here are some simple things that you can do to encourage
birds and other animals to stay longer. If you have been feeding
the birds this winter, you will know that they will come to the
tiniest garden or window sill in search of peanuts and scraps. As
winter turns to spring though, these birds will be raising chicks
that could choke on peanuts, so what can we do to make sure we
have the pleasure of the creatures all year round?

   February is the time of year to start putting nest boxes up in
your garden and Thursday February 14th-21st is National Nest
Box Week. You can buy these nest boxes from garden centres
or even make them yourself. For example, a hole of less than
30mm or above will allow the larger blue tits and coal tits to nest
and a hole of 30mm or above will allow the larger great tit access
to the box.

   Bats are useful garden visitors as they feed on some garden
insect pests like midges. You can encourage bats by putting up a
bat box that you can either buy or make yourself. Bats will use
these as roost sites during the summer days and should be placed
as high off the ground as possible - without any surrounding
branches so that the bats can have a clear flight path. It is best
to place the boxes in groups, on three sides of a tree, as bats like
to change their roost site depending on the temperature and
season.

   Wildlife likes to have plenty of places to hide, so leave areas of
your garden uncut to allow havens for animals. Hedgehogs, which feed on slugs and other invertebrates, will use these areas to hide
in during the day and will also appreciate a box buried in a stick
pile or old compost heap to hibernate in over the winter. Helpful
garden insects like the ladybird feed on garden pests and will
thrive in places with plenty of hollow stems to hibernate in. You
can put up artificial hibernation homes for insects like the
ladybird by tying a bunch of drinking straws or lengths of
bamboo underneath a windowsill.

   Insects are especially important as food for garden birds. All
those chicks that are raised in the new nest box will need juicy
caterpillars and crunchy beetles to eat. Encourage these in your
garden by giving them homes. Beetles and other creatures love
damp places under logs or stones so try leaving a small woodpile
in a shady corner or making a rockery.

   Scottish National Heritage and North Lanarkshire Council,
along with the other organisations in the partnership, have
produced a diary of outdoor and wildlife events taking place throughout North Lanarkshire over the coming year. It also
includes advice on caring for your garden and information on
events and places to visit. A copy of the diary will be available
from your local library or country park, so watch out in your
local press for more articles on how to help wildlife in North Lanarkshire.

   To help increase awareness within the community and provide
an incentive in taking part. LBAP will be will be organising
regular competitions to win super prizes, kindly donated by B&Q
Stores. The competition to win either a bird feeder, bird feed,
bird table and another garden related prize for this month is as
follows:

   Q. Name a helpful garden insect that feeds on garden pests.

   Answers on a postcard please (with your name, address and a
contact telephone number) to Kat Jones, Education and
Interpretation Officer (Strathclyde and Ayrshire). Scottish
Natural Heritage, Caspian House, Clydebank Business Park,
Clydebank, G81 2NR. Further information and leaflets on any
of the above can also be obtained by phoning Kat Jones on
0141 951 4488.