National Nestbox Week - to do or not to do ...

[Toddy]

In principle I agree, but the reality is that for the most part folks have very little time and interest in such things. The natural world is so divorced from the daily life of many that it's an inconvenience. Present storms are an example, the increase in the number of rats is another. To stultify every well meaning attempt because it 'might' cause unforeseen harm is akin to, 'an eye for an eye', that really only leaves everyone blind.

To encourage, to actively engage them, and the younger generations, means actually being involved, not sitting back saying with hindsight, "well, that's a shame that they've gone, pity we didn't do anything about it".

I do take on board that that applies also to your original passerine bird nesting sites, but the reality that most face is that there's not a lot of room in suburbia for wildlife unless we actually put some effort into it.

 

[Broch]

Very true; I think I am really more concerned about the people doing 'the big things' getting it right.

Feeding birds is a great way to connect kids with the natural world and seeing fledglings escaping from nest boxes gives youngsters a thrill that may hook them for life.

I'm really just trying to encourage people to think a bit more deeply - well at least the people with more than a casual interest in our natural world

 

[swyn]

Our situation.
I have a little owl box of which one of the resident little owls is interested. Mr & Mrs pigeon are nesting on the roof for the third year running.
I have barn owls that hunt our grassland and in consequence a nest box but so far this is unused. There are barn owl pellets nearby but they’re living elsewhere.
As I have wriggly tin roofs we have discovered that the swallows, much that they love the swoop into the steading, tend to nest too close to the tin and in consequence their babies sometimes get too hot. To try and help I have made a number of A frame shape swallow nest boxes and out of the six built two have been occupied. Usual years mean three broods raised but the last late ones make us anxious!
I have built into one flank wall a swift box as one can only do this when the brickwork is going up.
I am not really a fan of nest boxes but try to help if I can. I have an elderly tractor that doesn’t move very often and the robins love the headlight holes so nest here. I know they’re in there so put the machine back in exactly the same spot if it ever needs to be moved.
S

 

[Broch]

However, the experience I’ve had with my own garden is that when we first moved in there were house sparrows everywhere and nothing else at all.

Their numbers have dwindled slightly since we did our gutters and the neighbours did the same, but I will get to the main point…

Sorry, meant to comment on this earlier - house sparrows are on the UK red list. If they've been driven off because of high numbers of other species coming to feeders that's not a good thing

 

[swyn]

Sorry, meant to comment on this earlier - house sparrows are on the UK red list. If they've been driven off because of high numbers of other species coming to feeders that's not a good thing

Also modern buildings are not sparrow friendly. No nooks/crannies allowed by building regs.
Living under tin is interesting and right now very noisy. We have a resident flock of house sparrows. They love the bay tree and shout loudly from this most of the day. When not shouting the boys are up under the tin pecking furiously at the plastic fillet that directs rainwater into the gutters. They are preparing their nest sites and each bump in the tin is explored and pecked on a daily basis.
A thought has been lurking in my mind to make something sparrow friendly in the soffit. Similar to plastic swallow nests. Early days still though.
S

 

[JonathanD]

Some good examples of sparrow boxes here.

Search

www.nhbs.com

 

[Toddy]

Sorry, meant to comment on this earlier - house sparrows are on the UK red list. If they've been driven off because of high numbers of other species coming to feeders that's not a good thing

I didn't know that the speugs were on the red list :yikes:
They're commonplace around here. They love my beech hedge, they root through it after the spiders and other insects. They're also the messiest eaters on the bird feeders, scattering seeds everywhere. That unfortunately feeds the wood pigeons which happily bumble their way around the pole, guzzling anything they can get to.
We also have Dunnocks though they seem to prefer the ground for feeding.

 

[swyn]

Some good examples of sparrow boxes here.

Search

www.nhbs.com

Thank you for this. May have a look at a hole-in-a-brick idea as I have a bit of brickwork that may just suit.....
They may like the swift box but I put it where it is for the swoop and a sparrow box IMO should be nearer to the eaves.

Manthorpe Swift Bird Nesting Brick GSWB

As modern building practices have greatly improved the quality of new homes in the UK, some have actually suffered from the advances in building regulation. Bird species such as swifts have occupied the cracks and crevices in our buildings for thousands of years, but the improved standard and...

mytradeproducts.com

S

 

[Toddy]

We have tiled roofs here. Next door's gable end lost the cement that bound the edge ones about twenty years ago.....the bluetits have nested under the edge where the tiles overlap every year since
It's amazing the places that the birds find suitable for nesting. I have ivy covered fences, but the one between me and the neighbour the next way has roses and honeysuckle growing through it. The blackbird, the wren and the sparrows all nest in that ivy behind the roses. The roses have grown there so long that the main stems are thick as brush shafts, no moggie or squirrel risks going near those nests

 

[FerlasDave]

Sorry, meant to comment on this earlier - house sparrows are on the UK red list. If they've been driven off because of high numbers of other species coming to feeders that's not a good thing

Yeah, I’m aware of that.. Truth be told though I don’t actually believe it, I just think their numbers don’t get recorded. I can think of two other places up here where they’re absolutely thriving! In my experience too, they seem to be the ones that do the driving off. At least in my garden anyway.

I should mention though that it’s not like I’ve chased away every breeding pair, I still counted 11 (yes in one go as per the rules) for the garden birdwatch the other weekend. Their numbers still hold strong.

 

[Broch]

Yeah, I’m aware of that.. Truth be told though I don’t actually believe it, I just think their numbers don’t get recorded. I can think of two other places up here where they’re absolutely thriving! In my experience too, they seem to be the ones that do the driving off. At least in my garden anyway.

I should mention though that it’s not like I’ve chased away every breeding pair, I still counted 11 (yes in one go as per the rules) for the garden birdwatch the other weekend. Their numbers still hold strong.

They are noisy little devils though

We don't have any. A couple of pairs at the farm a little further up the track and a small flock of them at one farm where they store grain feed.

There's a hole in the stonework above our kitchen door, we once had a pair of house sparrows nest there; since then we've had a redstart, a pied flycatcher, and a spotted flycatcher nest there - so birds with different nesting habits using the same space

 

[FerlasDave]

They are noisy little devils though

We don't have any. A couple of pairs at the farm a little further up the track and a small flock of them at one farm where they store grain feed.

There's a hole in the stonework above our kitchen door, we once had a pair of house sparrows nest there; since then we've had a redstart, a pied flycatcher, and a spotted flycatcher nest there - so birds with different nesting habits using the same space

You can have some of mine if you like

I honestly got quite excited when a blue tit first came to our feeder! I haven’t seen him since the autumn though so I reckon a local cat had him.

 

[Toddy]

You are so right about the sparrows and the racket they make. You'd think it was an enormous fight going on, but they just seem to be all determined to be heard at once.

Blue tits love both peanuts and sunflower seeds...the ones in the black shells for preference here. I know folks complain about the shells making a mess but it's biodegradeable and disappears into the soil pretty quickly I find.
If you have a mesh feeder, the tits will come for that while the sparrows prefer a perch of some kind if they can get it.

I have a mesh feeder that I drop fat balls into; the long tailed tits come in as a wee flock and flitter around it. They cover it like moths on a light at night

 

[swyn]

I looked at the sparrow boxes that are made to fit into new brickwork, similar to the swift box but these are on a two month wait! That made me quite cross.
So back to my idea of a four-holer up under our Victorian soffit. With a removable front or bottom panel to enable them to be cleaned out.
Pic1 little owl box now occupied by owl inside and pigeons on top. Whether the owl stays I can’t say.
Pic2 swallow A frame house in the apex of the steading. The muppets line up on the edge when they are a little older so this was an unexpected success.
S

 

[daveO]

I'm still pro-bird box after years of experimenting with them. I've currently got around 20 nest boxes up in various locations along with bat boxes and bee hotels which also have their own controversies. They're mostly Schwegler woodcrete boxes and I've been careful to use different types of boxes to promote diversity of bird species. The majority of boxes are taken up by blue tits and great tits but I get regular nuthatch nests, wren nests, house sparrow nests and starling nests as well as tree bumblebee nests and wasp nests. In the winter they get used by all kinds of birds for safe roosting and that can't be taken for granted either. I've also had dormice use the boxes over the winter and other mice for caching food and nesting. One winter I went to clean out a box and found 156 acorns stashed in there.

I don’t think you can really give a sweeping statement about whether they’re good or not as every situation is different but every year I get empty boxes that have been used successfully in previous years so I don’t think there’s too much competition for nesting spots around here.

As with bird feeding though, this is only ever supposed to be a temporary solution while we re-build habitats that can support animals without the need for human help. Around here a lot is being done to replant trees and promote diversity so hopefully the case is the same elsewhere too.

This is my contribution to nest box week this year. The wooden box has had a year in the garage while they build a house next door but I think it's safe to go back up now. The box in the middle arrived broken and was replaced but I've repaired it now and it should be strong enough for life in a sheltered spot.

 

[Stew]

Is there a particular reason other than appearance for humans for the ball shaped one? Curious if it’s a particular species.

 

[JonathanD]

Is there a particular reason other than appearance for humans for the ball shaped one? Curious if it’s a particular species.

Wrens and long tailed tits prefer this type.

 

[daveO]

1

Is there a particular reason other than appearance for humans for the ball shaped one? Curious if it’s a particular species.

It's made especially for wrens and needs to be fitted low down in dense undergrowth. Wrens seem to like that kind of ball shape for some reason.

 

[Broch]

1
It's made especially for wrens and needs to be fitted low down in dense undergrowth. Wrens seem to like that kind of ball shape for some reason.

Wrens seem to like the nooks and crannies of the chassis/suspension of my 110

 

[Stew]

Wrens seem to like the nooks and crannies of the chassis/suspension of my 110

You should put some boxes up!