Bird Nesting Boxes
One of my interests is making
and siting bird boxes.
With fewer
and fewer old
trees available to provide nesting holes its important to provide some sort of
shelter for wild birds. A place they can raise their young and retreat
to when the weather is harsh.
A bird
nesting box is easily made by anyone with a saw and a
hammer, plus some nails and its a great way to encourage
children to take an interest in our wildlife. This year
2011 close to 500 nesting box kits have been made by
myself and the volunteers. These were put together by
children at SSDC Nature events.
I have made many standard bird and bat boxes in the
Chard
Nature Reserve from timber I supplied, new and from timber donated or
scrounged.
Getting good quality timber is difficult to get for free.
Plenty of
Plans are available on RSPB web site or BTO for more comprehensive boxes or download pdf file Bird Nesting Boxes Pla
Chard
Reservoir Nature Reserve is owned by SSDC.
Last year 2010 we had 100% success rate with evidence of
occupation in the hole nesting boxes. None of the open fronted boxes were used
however. I believe this is due to the high squirrel population and
predation.
Offwell Nature Reserve also has about 40 of my bird and bat boxes.
The local Primary School has 8 boxes, and many locals have my boxes
erected. A further 17 are in Stoke sub Hamdon Somerset.
Using timber treated with preservative.
I do not agree with the use of timber containing
chemicals.
Use some commonsense if you are going to construct a bird
nesting box.
The danger as I see it is that the chemicals in the
timber may affect the eggs. On a hot summers day the chemicals may
pervade the interior of the bird box penetrating the egg shell.
Would you to raise your young in a building stinking
of chemicals on a hot day?
The sensible answer would be no and neither would the
birds.
Perches
I do not add perches as this will provide
easy access for
predators. Woodpeckers and squirrels will gain entry and kill the young .
A bird is quite capable of flying directly to the entrance without assistance
of a perch.
Size of the aperture.
The RSPB /BTO gives guidance in this and this would
depend on what species you hope to attract to your garden.
25mm for Blue Tit, 32mm Sparrow,
I favour the use of 30mm- 32mm as this will
provide access for many woodland species.
In the wild a natural hole in a
tree does not appear in any particular size so I take my cue from that.
Use a metal baffle of wire or plate surrounding the access hole to
deter predators from enlarging the hole.
A nesting box should be erected in late autumn or early the winter months to
provide shelter and roosting, allow time for the birds to inspect suitable nesting
places.
Bear in mind that some species are solitary roosters so
put up more than one box.
Fixing and positioning the box.
Do not nail the box to a tree! It is far better to use
some polypropylene rope or good strong plastic covered wire and to tie it to the trunk or a limb. Tie it loosely so the box
sags against the tree. This will allow for the
growth of the trunk over time, and will not damage the future use of the tree
for timber.
The other advantage is that you will be able to easily
move the box for siting,
repair or cleaning. The weight of the box will keep it in place if it is a
well constructed box. Don't worry about the wind moving the box in inclement
weather, the birds are used to that.
Cleaning nesting boxes.
Inspect the box in the Autumn, clean out the old nesting
material replace with a handful of hay or dry moss. If you are dealing with
only one or two boxes in your garden kill any mites in the box with hot
water.