Bird Nesting Boxes

_Bird Nesting Boxes Provide Needed Shelter

All shapes and sizes would not be a truly accurate description 
of the many bird nesting boxes available to us today, having said that the choice is considerable. 

Although there is a wide variety of choice the fact is that bird nesting boxes come down to a few basic designs that generally cooperate with the nesting habits of particular wild birds. 

The size of the bird is an obvious factor and this is well illustrated with an open fronted bird box which is ideal 
for several garden birds. 

If we are wanting to encourage smaller hedgerow birds to nest in our garden this is the best design to be looking at. 

Robin Nesting Boxes

The smaller version attracts birds like Robins and Wrens 
whereas the slightly larger ones attract Blackbirds and 
other similar sized hedge nesting birds. 

Being open fronted these types of bird nesting boxes let more 
light in and give the nesting bird a clear view of its immediate surroundings which has obvious safety benefits. 

We would site the bird box in a similar situation where the 
bird would normally nest making sure it has plenty of cover.

Because they are so popular with Robins they are often marketed and described as robin nesting boxes.

Bird Nesting Boxes For Different Birds

With standard bird nesting boxes the aperture of the entrance hole often determines what birds will use it as a nesting site. 

For instance making the hole 25mm aperture allows Marsh, Coal and Blue Tits to make use of the nest box, Great tits and Tree sparrows need 28mm, and for the cheeky house sparrow 32mm is ok. 45mm opens the way for Starlings. 

Which birds nest in our boxes can be controlled to some 
extent by this simple design feature of bird nesting boxes. 

Although we have to allow for the unexpected where birds nesting habits are concerned, as they can decide to nest in 
the most unusual places.

Something to keep in mind at this point is 
the safety of the chicks while in the box. 

Woodpeckers and Squirrels raid nests often enlarging the entrance hole to take the eggs or chicks as food. 

We can help avoid this by fitting a metal plate with the right size hole for the nesting bird at the entrance of the box. Many bird nest boxes are supplied with this as a standard feature. 

Bird Nesting Boxes And Wildlife Cameras

As stated before in many ways a nest box is our way of getting local birds to stay in our garden so we can enjoy observing them and their fledglings more closely. 

Achieving this is hampered by our not wanting to disturb the parent birds while they nurture their young to adulthood. 

The affordable technology available to us now removes this barrier and allows us to watch the progress within the nest box from the parent birds setting up home together right through the stages of egg laying, hatching and fledgling.

All of this is achieved with wildlife cameras that fit into 
the bird box and then transmit the pictures to indoors. 

We can either buy just the bird box camera kit and install 
it to an existing bird box or a kit that includes a purpose 
made nesting box. 

If we have ever watched Spring watch or Wild About Your 
Garden we are left in no doubt just how close we can get 
to the wildlife in our garden by using these wildlife cameras.

What may hold us back from installing one of these is 
our thinking it is very expensive. It doesn't have to be! 

There are kits available at very reasonable prices - 
reasonable being £50:00 upwards. 

With good wildlife cameras we will get a truly close up 
view of the wildlife while making use of the bird nest 
boxes in our garden. Without causing them any stress!

With or without Wildlife Cameras the shelter Bird Nesting 
Boxes provide will attract wildlife to your garden.