Nesting Boxes

[gwaithcoed]

Last year I replaced a piece of soffit board when doing a little property maintainance on my house.
Unfortuneately this has stopped the sparrows getting to their nest site.
I have therfore had to make a nest box to fit under the eaves where their nest site was.
What I want to know is How high up from the floor of the box should the hole be? I know it should be about 32 mil diameter.
A friend of mine made one for blue **** but it was so deep that the chicks could not get out and all died

Alan

 

[Alf]

Alan, dunno if the RSPB's advice helps?

Cheers, Alf

 

[Paul Chapman]

Alan,

I've just measured the box that I have and the bottom of the hole is 4" from the base. My box is successfully used by blue ****.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[gwaithcoed]

Thankyou Alf, Paul just the info. that I needed Sparrows will be well chuffed

Alan.

 

[Alf]

Making the choughs totally sparrowed presumably...

Coat, door, byeeeeeee! :wink:

 

[gwaithcoed]

Thanks to Alf and Paul I got my nesting boxes made
I made two for blue **** and two for the sparrows.

Both blue *** boxes now have chicks in and the blue **** are back and forth busy feeding them. How they can enter the small hole at the speed that they do is amazing.

The RSPB site said that sparrows would nest in close proximity to one another so I mounted their boxes one below the other. However the top box was taken over very quickly, but I never saw a sparrow look inside the lower one. The sparrows also have chicks.

Then the other day talking to a friend he mentioned boxes for hedgehogs and knowing that we have hedgehogs visiting our garden I decided to make one.

To find the size required I looked on ebay and found someone that was selling one that he had made and giving the dimensions.

I had got some oak that had too many shakes in to be used for anything but firewood but maybe could be used to make a box, and here's the result.

Apparantly you need a divider by the doorway to stop foxes getting to the hedgehogs when they are inside. Also it has to be heavy enough or staked down so that a fox could not turn it over.
This one being made from 1" oak is so heavy that I wouldn't like to meet the fox that can turn it over.



Alan.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Both blue *** boxes now have chicks in and the blue **** are back and forth busy feeding them. How they can enter the small hole at the speed that they do is amazing.

Try to be there to watch when the chicks eventually leave the box - it's great

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Paul.J]

Hello Alan.
We put a nest box up last year for our youngest daughter,shes mad on birds,and Bluetits started showing an interest straight away.So when i got a chance i installed a camera.
This gave us hours of pleasure watching the BTs building their nest and eventually laying,and seeing the eggs hatch.
I have put some piccys of the events.The egg one was taken from the t.v so quality is not very good,but you can see the eggs.
The Bluetits were showing an interest again this year,but we think they were scared off by Magpies :evil:

10 eggs laid.


Parent leaving to look for food.


Parent caught in flight.


And finally the last chick out of the box,looking for it's parents.


Hope you like.

Paul.J.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Excellent pictures, PJ

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[gwaithcoed]

That is excellent Paul, I did try to take a photo of the birds using my boxes but they were far too quick entering and leaving.

Alan.

 

[Paul.J]

Alan.My daugter took these and many many many others,she was only 8.
She sat their for hours just clicking away.Thank goodness for digital cameras :roll:
The box is in the kids play area,so was surprised that they nested their.
They just carried on as normal,but were very cautious when other birds were around,to even enter the box.
Nice nest boxes by the way
Paul.J.

 

[llangatwgnedd]

Alan, Bat Boxes next?

 

[gwaithcoed]

SP wrote

Alan, Bat Boxes next?

I'm in the dark about that

Alan.

 

[llangatwgnedd]

Heres one Alan.

Plans here

I don't need them as they roost in the workshop roof, see them folding their wings and going at top speed into the smallest hole in the roof space. :shock:

 

[sean.brock]

if you're mounting it onto the house and would lik enice piccies, install a webcam, theres a few site i know of where you can buty the whole kit and kaboodle, or get a cheap cctv camera and run it as an extra tv channel.

It's fantastic, and well worth doing. Also educational for your children

 

[sean.brock]

http://www.beautifulbritain.co.uk/htm/w ... titcam.htm

found it, sorry for the doublepost

oh, and this is my brother in laws websitem but i dont think he does them anymore

http://www.argyllbirdcam.co.uk/

 

[mailee]

Yeah, Bat boxes are made just the same but hung upside down! I'll get me coat. :lol: