Badgers

What is the legal status of badgers (Meles meles)?

What do badgers look like and how do they live?

Where do I get advice on dealing with problems caused by badgers?

What steps need to be taken if badgers are present on a site to be developed?

I've got badgers in my garden, how do I deter them?

How can I get involved in helping badgers?

What do I do if I find a sick or injured badger?

I often see dead badgers on the road. Who should I inform about this?

Are badgers connected to TB in cattle?

Barn Owls

How are barn owls protected?

How can I encourage barn owls to nest?

Bats

What is the legal status of bats?

Is it true that bats suck blood?

Do bats get caught in hair?

Do bats cause damage when they roost in a roof?

What do I do if I find a bat roost or an injured bat?

How do I know if I have a bat roost in my roof?

How can I carry out building works or timber treatment in my roof without disturbing a bat roost?

Where can I get information about bat boxes?

Bees & Wasps

How many species of bees & wasps are there?

How do I get a bee / wasp nest removed?

Beetles

Also see Stag Beetle section

Birds

What is the legal status for wild birds?

How do I encourage birds to use my garden?

Which birds usually use nestboxes?

How do I make a nestbox?

How do I deter certain species of bird from coming into my garden?

What do I do with injured or orphaned birds?

Biodiversity

'Is the variety of life on earth, from the smallest insect to the largest mammal, from lichens to rainforests and of course humans.'

Biodiversity Planning

Dorset has a Biodiversity Strategy which provides a framework for action in the county for the next 10 years. It has been written by the Dorset Biodiversity Partnership.

Butterflies

How do I go about identifying a butterfly I saw in my garden?

I've got caterpillars in my garden, what species of butterfly will they turn into?

How can I attract butterflies into my garden?