Kitchen Garden Forum

Now that spring is in the air our birds are looking for places to nest.

It only takes a small amount of time to make a nest box and they can be made out of any bits and pieces of wood lurking around in your shed or on the plot.

We have placed two on each of our plots and hopefully we will have some pairs of "tits" nesting in them this year.

I have added a couple of links for designs and tips on where to site them but believe me, they dont have to look brilliant to be effective.

You will be well rewarded when you see blue tits helping you remove caterpillars and such like from your crops.

http://www.bto.org/notices/nestbox_guide.htm

http://www.rspb.org.uk/

This last link has a print friendly guide with all measurements etc on.

Go on, be green and be wildlife friendly at the same time.

The RSPB site has some really good instructions on it - the other half has just made 3 of various hole sizes and put around strategic places in the garden. We were banished from our patio for a few months last year when our resident robins took a shine to a lovely bright blue glazed wall pot and got to it before we planted it up. They laid 4 eggs, all of which hatched and the young all fledged. We're hoping to keep the patio for ourselves this year!

I have a Solanum Jasmonides Album which half covers the back of my house, including half my kitchen window but I can't cut it back because we have blackbirds who nest in it. Their nest is right up against the window so we can watch everything that's going on and they don't seem to mind. Even Rosie cat takes a keen interest but doesn't bother them now she's retired.

Thanks for the info Piglet. I think we will have to put some up near where the blue tits keep going into our roof and building their nests. They seem to find their way in through the smallest of gaps.

We have tenement blocks in our willow tree - tree creeper, woodpecker, tit boxes and then two select detached boxes on the fence and a robin box on the garage. I expect they'll all nest in holes in the bank and odd places in the outhouses instead!