More bird box cleaning this weekend. This box is another one that always does well and has a great tit nest every year. You can see the wood chip I added at the bottom, the moss and fluff from the nest above that and for some reason a load of ivy leaves piled on top of that. If you zoom in though...
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Yes probably a wood mouse but hard to tell exactly from the nose. I've had a dormouse nest in one of the boxes by there before now so I have to be a bit cautious.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Found 3 bird boxes when clearing out my shed in the old garden. (Too many cats to use them there.)
What's the ideal height to site a tit nest box? And would the back (gable) of the new shed, no immediate cover but 5 feet from a thick native hedge, at right angles to the gable end, be suitable? We have some mature trees we could put one on, if not, but we wouldn't be able to see the nesting activity as they're too far from the house... but the right position for the birds is more important than whether we can see them, I reckon.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Anywhere from two metres to five metres high seems to be ideal (6'6" to 16"). I've got a couple up on the walls of my house at about 2.5m high with no immediate cover and they're used every year. Just make sure a cat can't reach down from the shed roof to swat at the birds as they fly out. I've seen sparrowhawks time a run at a sparrow nest to coincide with the parent bird leaving after bringing food in so they need to have cover fairly close.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
I agree with the height @wild edges has described. I'd also say try to make the box east or even on a sheltered north facing wall, rather than on a wall or surface that gets direct midday and afternoon sun ... don't want hard boiled eggs or little 'uns.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thank you, both. Looks as if the trees will be preferable... orientation of the shed is ok, but to have the box high enough it would be in danger from a cat on the roof. I'll need to snaffle our extending ladders back from the builders...
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
I just had an email from the BTO nest box recording scheme asking people to send their old bird nests to a PhD student at Sussex university.
"I am a PhD student at Sussex University currently working on the impact
of pesticides on songbirds. One part of my research is to understand
the exposure of chicks to pesticide within the nest. Birds’ nests are
composed of a wide range of materials, often including animal-derived
materials such as feathers, hair and fur. Parasite treatments are
applied on pets and livestock on a regular basis, which could
potentially end up in a bird’s nest. We intend to find out if chicks are
exposed to these treatments."
If anyone wants to get involved then I can email you the form or give you the university contact email. The law says not to touch your nest boxes until after 1st September and waiting until winter is best practice.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
We just had a delivery of cheese for Xmas and the company used pure sheep wool as the insulating padding. The stuff is perfect for nesting material (once the smell of cheese wears off) and there's enough to last a couple of seasons I imagine.
Also here's your annual reminder to clean your nest boxes out over the winter.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
No interesting photos this year so far but I've started cleaning out the old nests and the highlights were two nuthatch nests and a tree bumblebee nest. That's the 4th year in a row that the nuthatches have used the one box but the first year for the other one. I've still got a few left to clean though so hopefully more interesting things to find.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
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What's the ideal height to site a tit nest box? And would the back (gable) of the new shed, no immediate cover but 5 feet from a thick native hedge, at right angles to the gable end, be suitable? We have some mature trees we could put one on, if not, but we wouldn't be able to see the nesting activity as they're too far from the house... but the right position for the birds is more important than whether we can see them, I reckon.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.