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starting point. When choosing new plants, bear wildlife in mind and look for those that will provide safe shelter and perching places. In addition, put up nest boxes wherever you have a suitable position - reasonably high up and out of direct, scorching sun

skips for more wood and was experimenting with designs for robins, wrens and starlings. In the wild, birds nest in a variety of situations such as holes in trees and hedgerows, which tend not to be that abundant in gardens. A snug box with an appropriate

of putting the nest into the box, sealing it and taking it to its new destination. Let the bees settle and wait until morning before removing the tape from the entrance hole.I had only moved one bumblebee nest before, and that was a disaster. The bees were

in particular diving in and out of soil beneath my feet as I fork over flowerbeds.January is the time I like to put up the bird nest boxes, or clean out old ones that were used last spring. I've already noticed a few blue tits around, exploring existing nesting

the bathroom light on each night.The notion of bug boxes came back to me recently when I had a quick look through the 'my garden' section of the RSPB's Homes for Wildlife web pages. Under 'homes for insects' it suggests installing or building one. Well, I

and wildlife to your gardenMake a nesting area for birds on a pond, video projectInstall a window bird feederMake a bat boxMake fat cakes for birdsMake a green roof for a bird tableBrowse plants that are attractive to wildlifeBrowse plants with berries

wooden box filled with stems of sunflower, teasel and bamboo to make a solitary bee hotel.But that's no guarantee - wildlife can choose the most unpredictable places to live. This summer I visited some buff-tailed bumblebees nesting in a concrete path

(apart from the human, of course). In the south of the UK it's estimated that around 80% of bumblebee nests in gardens are predated by wax moth* - perhaps because nests under sheds, in compost bins and bird boxes are easier to find than those hidden

or beneath sheds, while the common carder generally chooses thickets of long grass or compost heaps to nest in. But bumblebees will nest anywhere they deem 'suitable', including bird boxes, lawnmowers, concrete paths and old duvets.I’ve yet to encourage

.More garden bird projectsBlog on feeding birds, by Kate BradburyMake a hinged nest boxHow to help garden birds in springInstall a nest box bird cameraMake fat cakes for garden birds