Bracknell

Residents can still take part in the Bracknell Forest Garden Wildlife Survey 2006, by recording which creatures have visited your garden over the last year.

The survey will provide an up to date picture of how wildlife is faring in the Bracknell borough, and will be compared to the previous survey which took place in 2002. The Council is particularly keen for people who took part in the original survey to enter again.

Wildlife to look out for includes amphibians like frogs and newts, or birds like swifts and bullfinches. The survey also coincides with the Great Stag Hunt III, which is run by the People's Trust for Endangered Species and monitors numbers of the endangered stag beetle - which is predominantly found in the south east.

Gardens are an important habitat for many local wildlife species because they provide places for them to breed and feed.

The research will help protect 24 species and their habitats across the borough, and also have a beneficial knock-on effect on other species through the Bracknell Forest Biodiversity Action Plan.

Cllr Iain McCracken, Executive Member for Bracknell Leisure and Corporate Services, said: We enjoy a rich diversity of wildlife here in Bracknell Forest due to a wide range of habitats.

"Taking part in the survey is a great - and fun - way to learn more about the world around us while at the same time providing valuable information with which we can seek to protect our wildlife.”

Responses to the survey can be made online at www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/leis-biodiversity

Bracknell Forest Borough Council