Flying Friends

We are so lucky in this area to have a plethora of winged creatures living in and amongst us. We hope to encourage more birds and bats to our Community Orchard.

Creating a bat box gives our nocturnal friends a place to roost and raise their pups, whilst also sleeping during the day. With increased development their habitats are under threat, so it is all the more important that we support bats. the RSPB provides a wonderful blueprint to make your own bat loft if you are feeling creative! Of course, they are also available to purchase from many shops too!

What about Owls? Let’s not forget our other nocturnal friend, the owl. No doubt many local community members are fond of the calls you can hear at night across Westhumble… We have an owl who lives in a tree outside our house (we have nicknamed him Brian).

The barn owl is the classic ‘white owl’ of the British countryside. It hunts small mammals, especially voles, over rough grassland. It uses quiet barns and cavities in trees for nesting and roosting where its presence is often given away by pellets and droppings.

It is illegal to disturb a nesting owl, so if you do ever come across a nest, just leave it until the nesting season is over, or better still, try to avoid disturbing the nest all together so it might be used again in future seasons.