3 reasons why you should put a nestbox in your garden

Birds naturally nest in holes in trees and bushes. In many built-up areas, the trees and bushes are too young to have developed natural holes. So, setting up nestboxes in your garden or on a balcony is a simple way to help birds whether you’re in the middle of the city or the countryside.

Reasons to put a nestbox in your garden

1. Encourage your favourite birds. You can pick nestboxes suited to your favourite feathered friends. Whether you prefer swallows, wrens, or blue tits, by choosing the right nestbox and positioning it correctly you can support specific species.
2. Watch bird families grow. By giving birds access to nesting sites, you can watch as they raise their chicks. Spot the parents bringing invertebrates back to their young, and the chicks taking their first flight. Birds may also return to the same nestboxes the next year, so you might get to watch multiple generations of a family grow up.
3. Support protected species. Many types of birds are in decline, and installing a suitable nestbox can help to encourage their numbers to increase. Why not install a swift box to support a bird on the Birds of Conservation Concern 5 Red List? Find out more about how nestboxes benefit swifts by listening to Hampshire Swifts’ interview on the Looking After Nature podcast.

Tips for putting a nestbox in your garden

• Choose the right bird box. Each species of bird prefers different things. Look at the birds in your area. Then, select a box suited for the species you want to encourage. Make sure to pay attention to their preferred opening type and entrance hole size. House sparrows prefer a 32mm entrance hole, starlings like 45mm entrance holes, and robins prefer open front nestboxes. If you have space for multiple nestboxes, then you can install ones with different sized holes to suit different species. Try to avoid buying boxes that have feeding tables attached as nesting birds are very territorial. Parents will therefore have to spend a lot of energy trying to drive other birds away when they come for food.
• Pick a good spot. Try to choose a location for the nestbox that has a clear flight path around it which isn’t blocked by trees or bushes. This will mean that adult birds can find the box when they’re looking for somewhere to nest, and easily bring their chicks food when they hatch. If you have multiple nestboxes in your garden, make sure they’re not too close to each other as this may discourage birds from nesting there.
• Position it carefully. Make sure the nestbox is north or east facing and angled slightly downwards to protect the birds from the sun. Keeping it between 1-3 meters above the ground will also keep the birds safe from predators like cats and squirrels.

• Keep timing in mind. Setting up nestboxes as early in the year as possible is key. January and February are when adult birds are already starting to look for nest sites, a couple of months before any eggs are likely to be laid.
• Know when to remove eggs. Abandoned eggs can only be removed from nestboxes between 31 September and 1 January, as stated in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It’s illegal to keep unsuccessful eggs, so if you find any first make sure that the nest is abandoned and then destroy them.
• Clean the nestbox annually. In October or November, take down any nestboxes and give them a good clean. Remove old nesting materials and use boiling water. This will kill any parasites without the need to use insecticides or other chemicals.