It’s National Nest Box Week 2023!

It’s National Nest Box Week 2023!

As the trees are starting to come into leaf, and blossom is appearing in the hedgerows, the birds are singing to mark their territories and nests are beginning to be built. But how best to encourage wild birds to flourish in your own garden? Ali Barwani says now is the time to give a bird a home in your garden during National Nest Box week 2023 – it runs from 14^th February to 21^st February.

In the mix of tall shrubs and mature trees that runs between Alexandra Place Garden Centre and the main road, the sounds of spring can already be heard rising above the traffic. Somewhere up the trunk of an old oak tree I can hear the drumming of a green woodpecker. This drum roll could be made by a male or a female, at this time of the year they both use this unusual method of communication to let their rivals know they are around and watching! Sometimes the courting pairs choose to use a winter roost hole for nesting, and on other occasions a couple will spend 10 -30 days excavating a new nest hole in a tree trunk. Nesting places are at a premium in spring!

Last April my co-worker Anna noticed that a wren had built a beautiful domed nest in the hollow of a rather attractive hanging basket in our bedding area. The basket, raised above the ground and kept dry beneath the plastic roofing made an ideal nesting site for this diminutive bird. Anna marked the basket with labels saying: ‘do not disturb the nesting bird’, and occasionally we would carefully peak at the delicate nest composed of grass leaves, moss, lichens, and tiny feathers. The mother successfully raised her chicks, and all it cost us was the loss of one hanging basket sale. Wrens are already on the lookout for safe little hollows above ground to nest in all around the garden centre.

The tamest birds you will encounter in our garden centres are the robins. We have had robins nesting in all sorts of places, including in a fallen clay pots on the shelf, among the ivy that grows up some of the plant tables, and even in an old work boot. When we are moving plants around on the tables, to condense stock or create new displays, our friendly garden centre robin will always hang around, waiting to swoop in and snap up a tasty little insect freshly revealed. My colleague Kathy, the creator of numerous inspiring plant displays at Ally Pally, has developed a special relationship with the resident robin, and it will pluck dried mealworms from her fingers when they are offered.

Most gardeners are aware of the importance of providing bird feeders, especially in city and suburban gardens. And while feeding garden birds is enjoyable, what could be more satisfying than to see a bird box you have installed being occupied by a feathered family?

Gardens are great habitats for birds to breed in. A large, mature garden will offer diverse nesting habitats from large trees and shrubs, to hedges and hanging eaves – but a small town garden may also be a haven for birds if artificial bird boxes are proved. Well-sited bird boxes in urban gardens have been shown to be very important to successful bird breeding.

When Should I Put Them Up?

The answer is anytime! Because even if they are not in use it means the birds in your garden will become familiar with them, and therefore will not be scared to occupy them in March or April. Also – and this is relevant as a severe cold snap is predicted to be heading our way shortly – bird boxes offer shelter for roosting birds during cold weather as well as a refuge from pursuit by predators. Now is a good time to put up new bird boxes before the breeding season really takes off.

Nest Box Location

The ideal place for a garden bird box is at a safe height in a sheltered location. In general, you should position your boxes a minimum of one metre above the ground and not more than five metres high. Garden trees, the side of your house or the wall of a shed are all good places to locate your bird boxes.

Most bird species are very particular about where they chose to nest. Different birds like to nest at different heights.

Woodpeckers and owls for example like to nest high up – but remember you will need to be able to access the box for cleaning after the breeding season has finished.

Tits, sparrows, and starlings prefer something a bit lower, just a few metres above the ground.

Blackbirds and robins are examples of birds that typically prefer a lower nesting box.

In other words, don’t put all your bird boxes up at the same height – you will have a higher occupancy rate if you vary the heights. And unless you are lucky enough to have a garden that covers a few acres, you are very unlikely to have to worry about ground nesting species in your garden.

Like Goldilocks porridge getting the temperature is important. You might enjoy basking in garden in the heat of a warm day, but a nest box fixed on a south facing wall could easily overheat its occupants on such a day. Many wildlife experts recommend placing a bird box on a north or east facing wall, out of the direction of the prevailing wind.

Expert Tip: Hang your bird box so that it tilts slightly forward from the wall, this will help avoid rain getting into it.

What Makes a Good Bird Box?

If you visit our wildlife section, then you will find a wide range of different bird boxes ready to go into your garden. So, how do you select an appropriate box?

• Boxes made from wood, or a special waterproof wood-concrete material are ideal. Wood is good.

• Don’t use bird boxes made of metal, plastic, or ceramic, they will get too cold at nights and heat up too much on warm days. They can also suffer from condensation problems, allowing the chicks to get damp and cold.

• Don’t pick the smallest sized bird boxes, birds may lay few eggs in a very small bird box. Novelty nest boxes are best avoided.

• A box with a 32 cm entrance hole is suitable for sparrows and tits.

• A box with a 28 cm entrance hole is likely to be favoured by blue tits.

• Open fronted bird boxes may attract robins, wrens, and pied wagtails.

• You should be able to open the box to clear out the old contents after the nesting season is over.

• If you make your own bird box from wood, only apply a non-toxic water-based preservative to the outside of the box. There is no requirement to add of a perch to the front of the box, it can help predators raid the box for eggs or chicks. If your wood working skills are rudimentary then building a bird box might not be the project for you – gaps in the walls will let in wind and rain, and protruding nails can tear flesh.

• Avoid bird boxes that are incorporated into bird feeders – this is like to result in conflict between the resident birds and those visiting the feeder.

In Conclusion:

Putting up bird boxes in your garden is an important way you can help our garden birds, especially species in decline such as house sparrows. Choosing the right type of box and putting it up in a suitable location is the best way to ensure it will be successfully occupied. Traditional wooden bird boxes are the best choice for most gardens. Observation is the best way to learn about the birds visiting your garden. Keep notes on the birds that visit your garden, then you can learn more about their lifestyle and the sort of nest boxes they require. Observe the boxes you have put up and see which birds visit them, and whether they occupy them.

If you have seen any interesting birds in your garden, or if you put up a nest box during National Bird Box Week 2023 why not let us know?

Further information:

To learn more about National Bird Box Week 2023: https://www.countryfile.com/wildlife/birds/national-nest-box-week-how-to-help-birds-in-your-garden/

To learn more about bird life, nature, and conservation, visit the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds website: https://www.rspb.org.uk/

To find out more about the science of bird populations in the U.K., and to share and improve your bird knowledge, visit the British Trust for Ornithology website: https://www.bto.org/