Hi,
New here !I am looking for advice regarding bird boxes. I have several bird boxes and a large no of blue tits , great tits in my garden. Is it too late to clean out any bird boxes now in Feb. I meant to do it Oct . Nov but didnt manage to.
Or is it better to leave them be until next Autumn.
Thank you in advance.
It I should ask my question elsewhere please let me know.
BW
Marianne
No, it's not too late to clean out the nest boxes Marianne; just use hot soapy water to clean them, then rinse thoroughly before leaving them to completely air dry either inside or outside under cover. I would bring in the boxes after cleaning them to dry off. If you have a shed you could leave them in there to dry or a garage. Try to get them back in situ before March if you can (always double check they are fixed securely and won't tilt or fall off). Blue Tits, Great tits, etc., tend to inspect potential nesting sites as early as end of January/February. I used 28mm (entrance hole) nest boxes which would attract both blue and great tits and always added a metal nest hole plate for extra protection from predators. If you get great spotted woodpeckers in your garden then you may need to add quarter inch wire mesh (stapled in place) down the side, underneath and up the other side with front left without mesh but with metal hole plate around the entrance. Good luck and hope you get nesting birds this year.
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Regards, Hazel
Thank you Hazel X Do the woodpeckers go after the young birds?
Yes, great spotted woodpeckers will predate chicks in nest boxes or take eggs and will drill holes in the wood to get to them. We started buying the stonecrete boxes as they protect the chicks better although the wire mesh we put around the existing wooden nest boxes worked well as long as there was a metal nest hole plate in place. The danger is when the chicks are ready for fledging and start sticking their head out of the nest box and at risk if there are woodpeckers around.