The Town Council has made a grant available to the Friends of Mossley Park, to support their initiative to provide “homes” to attract and encourage wildlife in Mossley Park.
The Friends Group is keen to generate interest from everyone in their initiative but particularly from young people in the Town.
The Town Council has suggested that the initiative would be enhanced by the provision within the park, of interpretive material in the form of signage or other means of advising members of the public about the initiative. This might include details about the types of wildlife the initiative will hopefully attract and the overall value to the ecosystem. The Friends have agreed to explore further the Town Council’s suggestion.
The Friends group initiative will include:
Natural bat roosts which are becoming scarce as the landscape changes. A
bat box can help by providing a dry, draught free roost for the Common
Pipistrelle Bat.
Bird boxes provide places for birds to nest safely thus helping bird
conservation. They also provide park users the opportunity to bird
watch. The following bird boxes will be provided:
25mm hole boxes hopefully to attract blue tits, coal tits, tree sparrows;
32mm hole boxes hopefully to attract great tits, nuthatches, house sparrows;
Open fronted boxes hopefully to attract robins, pied wagtail, fly catchers.
Bug boxes will encourage shelter and somewhere to hibernate for environmentally
beneficial insects into the park by providing homes for bugs.
Hedgehog numbers have declined in the last 10 years. Hedgehog houses
provide a safe place for hedgehogs to hibernate and breed.
Further information about the initiative can be obtained from volunteer Mary Wilson. Mary can be contacted by email at the following address:
Mike Iveson
Clerk to the Town Council