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Birdbox Entrance Hole Damage

Alfie Noakes
15/10/2023 15:19

Hello everyone,

I built a birdbox last winter using the RSPB schematics with a 25mm hole and a brood of eight bluetits emerged from it in early June - very exciting! However the hole was well pecked by the parents birds and I am concerned if, after I clean the box this month, the birds will reject it next spring as the hole is too big or too mashed up?

Is it usual to replace or reinforce the hole?

Thanks in advance for any advice for this newbie on here!

Cheers,

Alf :0)

  • 15/10/2023 15:27
    Hi Alfie, welcome to the forum ... Damage could have been done by a bigger bird such as Woodpecker? Many bird boxes have a metal reinforcing plate in size required such as the type from this site
    www.nestbox.co.uk/.../hole-plates
    Hope you have same good luck next season!

     

     2013 photos & vids here

    eff37 on Flickr

  • 16/10/2023 08:45 in reply to WendyBartter

    Thanks for your reply and insight Wendy - much appreciated.

    The box is onthe side of a garage in a very much urban environment and in plain view to us every day. We only have crows and magpies knocking around and have never seen them on the box.

    I have attached a couple of pictures showing the damage - it is caused by the (adult) residents only an my main concern is that when they peck away at the hole they make it unappealing to next season's potential bluetit clients!

    Kind regards

    Alfie Relaxed

  • 16/10/2023 10:33
    Damage similar to that didn't put blue tits off here. They have a choice of a nice newish polycrete box in a tree or a woodpecker damaged one on the house and they flipflop between them most years. The woodpecker damage was similar to yours, though is now spread a bit further out away from the hole and a further attempt was made underneath.......although blue tits do poke about at nest entrances, I wouldn't rule of great spotted woodpecker having visited your nestbox. They are ten a penny these days, and also urban.
  • 16/10/2023 10:58 in reply to stealthybutnotthatstealthy

    Thanks Stealthy, that puts my mind to rest Thumbsup I will be taking off the wall to clean it etc.so as long as the hole diameter hasn't increased I'll pop it back up ready for those choosy parents!!

    On recollection I saw a woodpecker in a tree hole down by the river a half a mile away - it and the canal are such great green corridors - we have more than we think even when we're lost in suburbia!!

    Cheers,

    Alf