Observing birds nest building and raising young can be fascinating and very rewarding – especially if they have selected a home that you have put up for them. But nesting happens in spring, so why am I writing about it now?
You’ll often be more successful in attracting nesting birds into your garden if you start early, giving the birds more time to find your nest box, investigate it and assess its suitability. Like us they go house hunting! But they’ll also use nest boxes for shelter so they’ll provide a great roosting spot in winter.
So buying and installing nest boxes now is a great idea and that’s why we’re offering a 20% discount on all of our bird nesting boxes at the RSPB Pulborough Brooks shop until 20 November 2018.
If you have set up nestboxes in your garden, one of the most likely occupants will be a blue tit. In springtime tits are regularly seen hammering away at the entrance hole of a nestbox. This is probably a form of display by the male, rather than an attempt to enlarge the hole. Later, the female will also peck vigorously - this may help her to judge how soft the wood is and whether the hole will provide a safe, predator-proof home in which to raise her brood.
If you live near the woodland, you might be lucky enough to give a home to a nuthatch; slate-blue on the back, chestnut under the tail and a black bandit mask across its eyes. Nuthatches don’t excavate their own nest holes but are expert plasterers, gathering mud or dung to reshape and resize the hole. In woodland they might customise a hole previously used by great spotted woodpeckers, but they will use nestboxes too.
Nuthatch by Chris Prince
For some of the birds who do make their own nests, and the house sparrows who nest under the eaves of our Visitor Centre spring to mind, building hardly requires architectural planning. They simply grab whatever vegetation they can find and stuff it into or onto whatever box, cup or ledge they have chosen.
For others, constructing a nest requires considerably more dedication and skill. The male wren for example has his work cut out; he weaves up to half a dozen nests out of moss, grass and feathers and then awaits his choosy female partner who will inspect his work and choose the one in which she will lay her clutch of precious eggs. Providing an open-fronted nest box, low down and tucked up amongst vegetation will give him a bit of a helping hand. In cold winters, these tiny birds often struggle to stay warm and will roost communally – the record was 63 wrens in a single nestbox!
Wren by Graham Osborne
Here are just a few of the properties we have for sale:
Open Plan Living
Modern and stylish open plan living should appeal to robins, wrens and pied wagtails. Featuring a contemporary design this lodge-style open fronted property features drainage holes and the base can be removed for easy cleaning.
Ideal for the first time buyer
This versatile property is ideal for a new family. With a 32 mm entry hole, this would make the ideal home for great tits or house sparrows, but could easily be converted for blue tits with a 25 mm nestbox plate.
Student accommodation
Are you searching for somewhere that you and all your mates can live? The three separate rooms within this attractive terraced property, provide ideal accommodation for sociable house sparrows. All of our nest boxes are made from sustainable FSC certified timber and have excellent insulation to make them warm in winter and cool in the summer.
Pop into the Visitor Centre where our friendly team will be able to advise you on the different nest boxes and provide information on the best places to site them.