bird nesting boxes

[Dexter's Shed]

it's crazy how many hours can go by, just with sitting watching the wildlife, our bird feeding area gives both myself and the wife lots of pleasure, more so when we see a new species arrive that we have never seen before, of late thats been black cap's and nuthatch
anyway, we started fixing up small nest boxes, and as always, price plays an important part, as rather than one or two boxes we could easily fit 100's
my first boxes were from pound stretcher, cost £3.95 and basic design, quite thin timber stapled together, I have a few of these already set up in the woods, and actually got this picture last weekend



so yes the birds will use them, hopefully they will last a year or two
then I spotted some in ALDI'S at £4.95, much better,thicker timber, so bought a couple, on fixing them up last weekend, one of them split straight away (not good) so looks can be deceiving.
on buying a gas bottle from our local garden centre yesterday, I noticed a very well made box from this company

http://www.chapelwoodwildlife.co.uk/default.aspx

and bought three boxes, at £3.49 they not only offer value for money, but just from feel alone, are very well made, the bit I liked was the front section can be removed for fixing, but by leaving it off, it turns the box into a good box for wren's or robin's

if you check out their website, they have a photo competition that ends in may, pictures of birds on/in/feeding on their products,

[Wendelspanswick]

They are really easy and cheap to make yourself, even free if you use reclaimed pallets.
My daughter and son who were both under 14 at the time set up a production line, with a bit of supervision from me, and produced over 20 one December and sold them as Christmas presents to school friends, teachers etc. They earned about £150 between them for a days work.
The bird boxes my offspring built were a tad arty for my tastes, in pastel colours and steeply pitched roofs but they sold well.

You only need hand tools, plenty of designs on the net.

[Dexter's Shed]

I know they are easy to build, and I do love a bit of homemade stuff, but as with all things, its finding the time, maybe getting older is making me more lazy

[SimonFisher]

We've had problems in the past with wooden boxes being attacked by other birds and squirrels in the past, so we now use ones made from Woodcrete by Schwegler (http://www.nhbs.com/1b_schwegler_nest_box_tefno_158587.html). They might be more expensive to buy, but they are durable and easy to clean out before the start of nest-building time. We've had a few of ours quite a few years and for as long as I can remember have had a 100% occupancy rate.

[Dexter's Shed]

We've had problems in the past with wooden boxes being attacked by other birds and squirrels in the past, so we now use ones made from Woodcrete by Schwegler (http://www.nhbs.com/1b_schwegler_nest_box_tefno_158587.html). They might be more expensive to buy, but they are durable and easy to clean out before the start of nest-building time. We've had a few of ours quite a few years and for as long as I can remember have had a 100% occupancy rate.

nice looking boxes, but no way could I justify £20 plus on a nest box
yes squirrels and other birds may attack, but that happens anyway in the wild

[SimonFisher]

yes squirrels and other birds may attack, but that happens anyway in the wild

Yes, but offering up a paper thin plywood box with a hole that can easily be enlarged and a side that can be ripped through is somewhat easier than a natural hole in a tree.

Maybe you'll have less problems than we did.

[Dexter's Shed]

have just bought one of these, be great to get some footage

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231179548593? ... 1497.l2649

[Binz]

had boxes up for a few years and all was fine until last year 2 got their holes chewed wide open. I've now bought some metal plates to go over the holes to stop this (about £2 each on ebay, or buy a hole saw and make your own)

[Dexter's Shed]

had boxes up for a few years and all was fine until last year 2 got their holes chewed wide open. I've now bought some metal plates to go over the holes to stop this (about £2 each on ebay, or buy a hole saw and make your own)

brilliant idea and a good tip, many thanks