HOME COMFORTS
Now’s the time to start thinking about making homes for birds
The start of winter is the perfect time to clean out any nestboxes in your garden. Legally, boxes shouldn’t be disturbed until at least September, and it’s also best not to take them down during very cold weather in midwinter, since birds may be using the hollows they provide for roosting. Follow the advice given here by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) to give the birds the most from your garden nestboxes.
How to maintain a nestbox
Cleaning out nests will remove any parasites that over-winter in nest material and mean that the nestbox is ready for use the following spring. For your own safety, it’s advisable to wear gloves and a dust mask when cleaning out boxes, since some fungi growing on damp nest material may cause respiratory irritation. Always clean nestboxes outside, to avoid parasites such as fleas and ticks getting into your home, and put old nests into your compost bin if possible. Legally, any dead unhatched eggs must be destroyed promptly, and cannot be kept or sold. This is a great time to check for damage or deterioration of nestboxes, and to build or put up new boxes if necessary. As well as Blue and Great Tits, boxes can provide nesting sites for House Sparrows, Starlings, and Swifts, as well as opennesting Robins and Pied Wagtails, and even large birds such as Tawny Owls.
Where to site a new box?
Your top priority should be a location where the nest will be protected from bad weather and predators. The entrance to the box should be sheltered from the prevailing wind, rain and strong sunlight. If the box is out in the open, face the hole in a northerly or easterly direction. If you fix the box to a tree, try to angle the entrance hole slightly downward. To keep the box out of reach of predators, put it as high off the ground as you can (though different birds have different preferences). Placing a box near prickly plants such as Holly or pyracantha can deter predators like cats. The BTO’S new book Nestboxes: Your Complete Guide contains step-by-step instructions for building your own nestboxes, information about birds that regularly use boxes as well as advice on positioning boxes. See the BTO membership offer to get a free copy. Once your nestboxes are ready for spring, all you have to do is wait! However, if you want to keep busy until the nesting season, there is, of course, plenty to do in the garden. The BTO’S Garden Birdwatch survey runs all-year round, and, by sending in weekly lists of the birds, you see you can help us monitor how birds are using gardens throughout the year. Head to bto.org/gbw for more information on how to get involved. This winter, the BTO is also running a Tawny Owl Calling Survey, and is asking people listen out in their gardens for 20 minutes every week to monitor patterns of calling behaviour of this under-studied owl. To find out more and take part, go to bto.org/owl When spring arrives, don’t forget to monitor any birds nesting in your nest boxes for the BTO’S Nest Box Challenge! Visit bto.org/nbc to take part.