Now is the time to put up a nest box
This week is National Nest Box Week, when the British Trust for Ornithology encourages people to put bird boxes up in their gardens. The aim is to address a shortage of natural nest sites and redress a decline in garden birds. The idea is that you will be in time for birds that have just begun courting to make a love nest in your garden.
A safe place to breed
Adding a nest box to your garden is an easy way to give birds a safe place to breed. My own garden is full of nest boxes. I also regularly advise local landowners on where to place boxes to attract owls and kestrels. The advantage of persuading birds to nest in your garden is that you get to watch their young as they grow -and eventually fledge - right on your doorstep. For me, having nest boxes right outside the house means I can be there to photograph and paint the birds I see.
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Nest boxes can be attractive
Many of the nest boxes in my garden are made from reclaimed tree stumps. I carefully select these because they make beautiful backdrops for my photographs and paintings. The tree in the painting of a barn owl below is actually an old elm stump which I salvaged and adapted as an owl nest box. It was heavy and had to be hoisted into a sycamore tree. Click here to read the full story of how I made it here
Birds don't always need tailor-made nest boxes
You can buy nest boxes off the shelf and it is an easy option. But birds will choose any appropriate space to nest in. The wrens in my gardens once nested in a bunch of shallots. And on another occasion they brought up a brood in an old walking boot. Meanwhile I've had little owls nesting in an old wine box. And the robins once nested in my Landcruiser - this turned out to be a very expensive nest box as I dared not drive it until the brood had hatched.
The best place to put up a nest box
In support of National Nest Box Week I've put together 10 top tips on how and where to put up a nest box. The important thing is to site your box correctly. Don't forget it needs to be in the best place for birds and not for your own viewing opportunities! Ideally, your nest box needs to be at least 1.5 metres high and no higher than 5.5 metres. It should be located near a hedge, bush or branches to help fledglings on their first flight. Make sure you avoid prevailing winds and direct sunlight. It can get very hot in the summer and cold if the chicks are directly in a breeze!
Choose the right nest box for the right species
If you are not particular about which species you want then the box that appeals to the widest range of common garden birds is around 28cm high, 15cm wide and 13cm deep with a 32mm hole. But if you want to be really specific here is a list of what size entrance hole suits which species.
25mm Blue/coal/marsh/willow tit
32mm House/tree sparrow, great tit, nuthatch, pied flycatcher
45mm Starling
50mm Great spotted woodpecker
70mm Little owl
00mm Stock dove, tawny owl
For robins, wrens, blackbirds, spotted flycatchers, pied/grey wagtails or song thrushes choose open-fronted boxes. Make sure the front or the top of the box opens for cleaning.
Woodcrete nest boxes are among the best
There are plenty of nest boxes available on the market made from wood or terracotta, but I really recommend woodcrete (a sawdust and concrete composite). These boxes are indestructible and provide great insulation too!
Avoid diamond-shaped nest boxes. I really don't recommend this shape because it doesn't give birds enough space to fill with nesting material. Make a terrace of nest boxes to attract sparrows. House sparrows are very sociable and like to nest together. A terrace, like the one pictured below, will fit several pairs of these birds. They should be at least 30cm high, 38cm wide with a 32mm hole.
A nest box with a triangular slip or hole will attract treecreepers. Tree creepers naturally nest in narrow gaps and clefts behind loose bark. A triangular slit or hole replicates this. Little owls need a nest box with a screened-off section at the back .Little owls like to nest in dark cavities, so screen off the back part of the box to create a baffle and use a 7cm entrance hole. Site it high enough to deter predators and in a quiet area. Tawny owl nest boxes must have tall sides A tawny owl’s box needs to be tall so that chicks can’t fall out before they learn to fly.
Nest boxes for house martins - House martins build mud nests on the eaves of buildings, often in colonies averaging five nests. They need enclosed nests with a small opening.
Nest boxes for swallows - Swallows prefer open nests sited inside a building with easy access, such as a garage, porch or stable.
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Good luck. And remember. If your nest box is unoccupied for two full breeding seasons - try relocating it.
3 comments
[…] How to choose the right nest box for the birds in your garden and where to put it […]
Admin: Robert has suggested that you most likely will need to mount it on a bracket if its really heavy. You are welcome to email him on mail@robertefuller.com with a picture of your box so he can see what you mean. The link should work now, apologies for that.
“Click here to read the full story….” re elm stump box. Hi Robert, I can’t get this “click” to work. Very interested in how you did this as have been given a nest box made from tree stump with natural hole ( very heavy) but it isn’t quite right. Rain would fall straight in through hole. Wondering how we could modify it and also how to mount it ( also in a sycamore tree). Some sort of bracket perhaps? Needed for my local nature reserve. Please could you email me about this or mend the link. First time I’ve seen your wonderful site, look forward to exploring it later. Thanks.