Boxes at the ready – it’s nesting time

Ray Collier with the new additions to his nest box collection.

IF any readers of this column did not know we are in the middle of the "National Nestbox Week" then I would be surprised. The week started, no surprise there, on Valentine’s Day, February 14, and has been highlighted by the various media for some time.

For me, it meant looking out the summary I had made a few weeks ago about the series of nestboxes there are on our acre of ground. The result was a need for a few new boxes to replace the old ones that have, in some cases, been up for quite a number of years. The new nestboxes came from the very wide range available from CJ Foods in Shropshire. The replacements were mainly open fronted boxes and normal hole nesting boxes as most of the others I have, such as duck boxes, house martin boxes and swift boxes, did not need any attention or replacements.

Having put up various nest boxes over many years I still looked up the latest thoughts on them to keep up to date with any changes. Nestboxes often crop up in the queries I get from readers and most of them are about their siting, lack of use and maintenance.

There are some good tips in the latest free newsletter from CJ Foods. As it says, most gardens have room for two or three hole entrance boxes and a couple of the open fronted designs.

The photograph shows me looking at my new additions. The one I am measuring is a hole entrance nest box whilst the one in the centre is an open fronted one. I have three of the latter in the garden and over the years they have been used by pied wagtails, robins and once, a real thrill, by a spotted flycatcher on one of the huge beeches in the garden. The other box I am looking at is an experimental one in that it is reputed to be for hibernating butterflies and other insects. Who says that nestboxes are only for birds?

The entrance size of the standard boxes is always open to debate. The general thoughts these days is a standard hole of 32mm which will attract blue and great tits but also other species. I have had, a superb record, a pair of pied flycatchers in these although it was a few years ago. Redstarts, for some reason, need a slightly larger hole of at least 40mm, although nobody seems to be able to tell me why they need a larger size.

When putting up the hole entrance boxes avoid prevailing wind and rain so facing north, through east and south east is good. An interesting thought is to avoid feeding stations for birds. Resident birds in nestboxes will waste energy by displaying to bird at the feeders. The open fronted nestboxes need to be sited unobtrusively and ideally protected by a thorny shrub.

The nestboxes in the photograph are all of treated wood so according to the instructions do not need any preservative treatment. For me, there is the problem of visibility as my argument is that if I can see it easily in such light colours then any predators such as cat, pine marten and brown rat will see them easily. I shall paint something on them to camouflage them, bearing in mind not to use any toxic liquids.

One query readers may help me with is the question of the tiny miniaturised cameras you can put into nestboxes. The images can be relayed to TV sets and I have always been fascinated by this but have been put off by the cost and whether they are effective. If any readers have had any experience of these cameras, good or otherwise, perhaps they could email me. I will pass on any tips over this approach in a future column.

There are a few other points to think about over nestboxes. One common query people make is what happens if nestboxes are not used? The reason they are not used is often a mystery as it may be in the siting and something the bird sees and we do not. It might be other nestboxes too close or perhaps the flight path to the box is unsuitable. The answer is that if they have not been used for two years, perhaps three, then simply move them to a different position. This approach has worked for me. Another consideration is why not put nestboxes elsewhere. If you get a landowner’s permission, and this is seldom refused in my experience, then put a few nestboxes in nearby woodland and boxes of various designs. Happy nest boxing!

Enviable garden crossbills sighting

THE record of the week is that of a garden bird but this one is, unfortunately, not mine but from a reader who lives in the same strath as I do. He looked out of his window last week and there on a rowan tree were a pair – male and female – of crossbills. Over the years I have had some memorable birds in the garden such as hawfinch, lesser redpoll and a jay but nothing that could match a crossbill.

These are some of the most fascinating Highland birds which is not surprising as they are endemic to Scotland, in other words they only occur in Scotland and nowhere else in the world.

One intriguing aspect about their crossed beaks is that when they are young juveniles the beaks are not crossed.

Not only that, when they do cross they can be in either direction. To have a pair, albeit not for long, outside the window of your house must have been quite a thrill.