Have you ever been walking around a forest or perhaps just your local park and spotted a weird box on a tree or building? Well, these might actually be wildlife conservation boxes! There are a lot of different shapes and sizes for different species so this quick guide will help you identify the different wildlife boxes you may encounter whilst out and about!
Important note: Although it can be great fun being able to spot different boxes in your local area it’s important never to open, disturb, or move these boxes as you may harm conservation efforts. Several boxes also fall under government legislation making it illegal to disturb the species that use them if you do not have a government licence or trained individual present. If you do want to learn a bit more and actually see what’s inside a box, you should check out your local wildlife organisation events pages as several hold open events for the public each month.
Bat boxes
One of the most common and easy to spot wildlife boxes are bat boxes! Usually located high up on buildings, trees, or posts they can be found in a range of different areas including more urban locations such as, graveyards and public parks. There are several different types of bat box in a range of shapes, but they are all traditionally designed to house bats- although its not uncommon for birds to also nest inside. If you want to know if a bat box is being used, you’ll have to return at dusk and keep a close eye out for anything flying in or out of the box. If you are super keen on helping bats out, you can purchase your very own bat box to put up in your garden.
Dormice boxes
One of the more unusual boxes to spot are dormice boxes, which from first glance can be mistaken for badly placed bird boxes. These tend to be placed lower to the ground than other wildlife boxes, at about arm level. They closely resemble a bird box just missing the entrance hole at the front and are almost always placed in forest or woodland areas. This is because dormice typically are arboreal (meaning they live above ground in hedgerows and trees), and they enter the box at the back after climbing up the tree or bracken. Dormice boxes are best admired from afar, so if you stumble across one on a walk it’s best to just leave it alone, knowing now that there could be a little dormouse sleeping inside. You do need a government licence in order to check dormice boxes, however, something everyone can do is look out for leftovers of their favourite food- hazelnuts! If you spot some on the ground, you can identify what’s eaten them by checking out the markings. Check out this hazelnut ID guide to become a pro at identifying dormice hazelnuts.
Bird boxes
Nearly everyone is familiar with a typical bird box and it’s not too surprising to spot some out and about- most people even have one or two in their garden. However, a not so typical bird box you might be able to spot are those designed for birds of prey, particularly owls! There are several different types of bird of prey boxes, but most resemble either a large rectangular or triangular container attached a tree, post, or building. They also have a fairly large entrance hole to accommodate for the size of the species, in the case of barn owl boxes there is usually a tray/resting area below the entrance. Similar to bat boxes anyone can put up an owl box but it’s important to check your location is suitable first, so I recommend checking out the Barn Owl Trust website to learn more.
Not a box but still a bit odd?
There are a few other wildlife conservation tools you may come across whilst out and about!
Reptile Hides– If you’ve ever seen a roofing felt sheet or square of corrugated iron placed on the ground this is most likely a reptile surveying hide. During the summer months/when the sun is out, these squares will attract reptiles because they act as a heat source for them. Then every so often someone will lift up the hide and record what they find. The good news is absolutely anyone can do this and its super easy to set up if you want to discover which reptiles you have locally!
Dormice Tubes- Something else you may come across in your local forest or woodland area are dormouse tubes. These small tubes have a similar purpose to dormice boxes but are usually placed in areas where dormice are suspected but not yet confirmed, before boxes are put up.
Footprint tunnels- Another conservation tool you may come across is a footprint tunnel. These are usually shaped like a large Toblerone with both ends open. Inside you will find a small tray with charcoal or safe ink and a long piece of paper. The idea being that overnight/over several days different species will go through the tunnel and leave behind footprints which are used to identify the species within an area.
