One highlight in any nature-lover’s calendar is coming very soon! National Nestbox Week 2018 is happening from the 14th- 21st February.
Nestbox by Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
As soon as we’ve finished with our own valentine’s day, lots of our favourite feathered friends begin themselves to look for a partner and a safe nesting site to settle down in for the spring.
To coincide with this, all next week at Minsmere we will be helping put together hundreds of nest boxes with families for them to take away.
Traditional places like holes in trees and nooks and crannies in buildings have in the past provided perfect shelter for many different species of birds. However, lots of these natural nesting places have declined in recent years due to improvements in our homes and changes in land use. This has had a knock-on effect on bird populations, seeing numbers of species such as greenfinches and house sparrows drop dramatically.
House sparrow by Ray Kennedy (rspb-images.com)
National Nestbox Week happens every year, encouraging as many people as possible to join in and help to give nature a home right on their doorstep. While there are lots of things we can do to help wildlife at this time of year (make a feeder, build a hedgehog-itat for example), putting up a bird box can be a really simple way of encouraging species to visit and thrive in our gardens.
Nest boxes frequently attract birds such as blue tits, great tits, robins, sparrows, even nuthatches. And while you can visit any nature reserve to enjoy wonderful views of birds, there’s really nothing better than seeing wildlife flourishing in your own back yard.
Here at Minsmere we’ll be celebrating by making nestboxes with visitors Monday to Friday from the 12th-16th (half-term week). We’re hoping to help as many adults, families and children build their own nestboxes to take home with them. Last year we made almost 200! The kits are ready and waiting, and cost just £5 to put together and take away.
Photo by Eleanor Bentall (rspb-images.com)
So whether you’re a keen birder, a nature enthusiast, or don’t know your blue tits from your goldfinches, this is the perfect opportunity to get involved and get to know the birds in your garden! It’s also one of the things you can do as part of your #Wildchallenge. Why not give it a go and see what visitors you can attract to your garden this year?
Starling in nestbox by Eleanor Bentall (rspb-images.com)