BOXES FOR RARE BIRDS

Rarer birds sometimes use nestboxes, provided you offer the right design: Swifts and swallows prefer their boxes under house eaves. For swifts, install a large wooden box with a hole on the underside, or slanted down. House martins create a domed mud cup like the artificial one shown above. Ensure a good flight-line in, clear of vegetation. Locate the box 5m (16ft) or more off the ground. Jackdaws use boxes that look like packing cases with a large opening at one end. In rural parts the boxes may be used by doves, kestrels or squirrels! Tawny owls use deep, upright boxes with a large opening at the top. They prefer larger, wooded gardens.