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I've been given a rather large nest box, the entrance hole is 6cm (2 1/2") diameter, I think the person who made it got his calculation wrong! Is it worth me putting it up? I don't want to encourage a vulture to next in my garden!
Hello treecreeper and welcome to the forum.
Funnily enough I have just put up a nest box for a treecreeper LOL
I love your sense of humour!!
6cm seemed large to me so I checked on the RSPB info. link is below:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/nestboxes/smallbirds/making.aspx
Looks like yours may be rather large! Hopefully one of our experts will have some ideas. You can buy metal rings to strengthen the hole so perhaps you can buy them to make the diameter slightly smaller.
(Or, you could just put it up and see if you attract a vulture, you would be making history LOL)
Kind regards
Jane
Kind regards Jane.
I was rather worried that a little bird might take up residence and then something like a magpie would stick it's head through the hole and get the babies.
Any idea where you get the metal rings from?
Yes, sorry I was chuckling at your post and did not answer properly, you are absolutely right, it could definitely be a problem for smaller birds.
Plates are available from various companies but here is a link to the RSPB shop.
http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/p/Nestboxes/Nest_box_plates.htm
This is just more info on nest boxes.
http://www.bto.org/nnbw/essentials.htm
Hope this is more helpful
Kind regards Jane
Hi Treecreeper and welcome to the RSPB Forum. Enjoy yourself here
We and 4 feeders and two ground feeders
1 Nyjer, Feeder, 1 Seed feeder, 1 Fatball Square block, and another Fatball holder we fill with Mr Kipling cakes LOL.
Birds love their food and we know that - great and small as we know
Carry on with your our bird feeding please!!! thumbs up!!!!
Regards
Kathy and Dave
Hi Treecreeper
60mm is just too big for a starling but about 90mm too small for birds like tawny owls and stock doves. The recommendation for a nest box plate is a good one but i am guessing if the hole is this large, the box is quite large as well, if so it could be made suitable for starlings as they require a 45mm entrance hole. Not sure if you can buy ready made starling sized plates but a piece of wood with a 45 mm hole cut in it and fixed to the front would do the job.
Starlings need all the help they can get when it comes to finding places to breed so locating this box over 3m high, preferably under the eaves of a house or on a tree trunk if possible, on a north or east facing aspect will hopefully provide them with a new home.
Warden Intern at Otmoor.