Get ready for National Nestbox Week by making your own nestbox.
THE British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) National Nestbox Week takes place this month from 14-21 February (www. nestboxweek.com). So now is the time to put up nestboxes in your garden. They can be bought ready made, or for those who fancy trying their hand at a bit of DIY, there are many online plans for boxes that will attract a wide variety of species.
Making your own
The simplest material for building a nestbox is wood. Pine or cedar is good and should be about 15 mm thick to prevent warping. It can be easily cut to size and assembled. You won’t need much, so check with a local timber supplier to see if they have any small bits left over at a good price.
Other tools you will need are a saw, a drill, a suitably sized drill bit to make a hole, and screws or nails. A strip of rubber can be used for a hinge to make the box easily cleanable.
You’ll also need a suitable plan. The BTO provides downloadable PDFs of plans for several boxes depending on which species you want to attract. Also downloadable as a PDF is Nest Boxes – Your Essential Guide (bit.ly/3sjzns3), which contains information on buying, making and maintaining your nestbox, as well as plans for boxes for House Sparrow, Blue Tit and European Robin. The RSPB (bit.ly/3nDZeYa) has plans for boxes, too, as well as advice on where to locate them.
Make sure your box has the correct hole size. Blue Tits need a 25 mm diameter hole (a 2p piece is a good guide), while Great Tits prefer a slightly larger one (28 mm). Common Starling will use a hole of 45 mm, as will Great Spotted Woodpecker. Open-fronted boxes are good for European Robin and Spotted Flycatcher.
Buying a box
If you want to buy a ready-made nestbox then make sure it has the correct hole size (see above). Beware of boxes made of anything other than wood or woodcrete, and make sure it is a good thickness. Thin plywood, for example, will usually warp. Plastic is not good as it heats up when in the sun.
The National Nestbox Week website has several. The RSPB shop (shopping.rspb.org. uk) has a wide variety, including some great designs for Common Swift, Swallow, House Martin, House Sparrow (a terrace of boxes), European Robin and Eurasian Wren. Special boxes for owls and Common Kestrel are also available, as are nestbox cameras and protective plates for nest holes.
Recommended reading
Nestboxes: Your Complete Guide by David Cromack is available from the BTO for £10.95 (bit.ly/2XvIyaH). This well-illustrated book provides practical advice and in-depth species profiles. As well as information on making boxes, it has tips on the best places for siting a box, how to preserve the life of your box and how to repair it.
Nesting Neighbours
This BTO survey monitors the breeding behaviour of birds in your garden or local area (www.bto.org/our-science/projects/nestingneighbours). The information you supply will help BTO scientists build up a detailed picture of bird breeding success and what may be affecting it. Chris Harbard