It’s not too late to put up a bird box this month as the summer visitors will be arriving soon and many species raise several broods throughout the season.
Bird boxes are invaluable, especially if you have few trees or large shrubs in your garden, and it can be very satisfying watching your box to see if it is chosen, and then see the young family raised and fledged from it.
Bird boxes are available commercially at garden centres and DIY stores – look for a sturdy, easy to clean box, with sides that are at least 2cm thick to provide good insulation against both heat and cold. Also look for wood from a sustainable source, otherwise you may be providing a home for your birds at the expense of those in other parts of the world. If you want to make your own, check the RSPB website www.rspb.org/resources for instructions or phone their local office. The box should have a lid which can be lifted to allow cleaning in the autumn and this should be fastened with a hook and eye catch to stop cats and squirrels opening it.. A steel plate with a hole of the same diameter fixed over the entrance hole will deter squirrels from clawing at the entrance The size of hole drilled in the front depends on the species of bird you want to attract. Robins need an open fronted box. You can even build boxes for larger birds such as owls and jackdaws (although I don’t think we’d be able to beat our chimney pots as a nesting site for the latter!)
The siting of the nesting box is crucial but there are no precise guidelines, other than shelter from wind, rain and strong sunlight and protection from predators such as cats and squirrels. Barbed wire (or a rambling rose) can be sited above the box to deter the latter. Many species, though not all, require privacy, which can be provided by siting the box behind a bush or climbing plant that will leaf in summer. Siting boxes is largely a matter of trial and error, so if your box is not visited this year, move it in the winter – only a few yards may make all the difference.
Useful Contacts: Swindon Services Ranger Team 01793 771419 and the Local RSPB 01295 253330
