Apart from the odd storm, this summer has been brilliant for our wildlife and has enabled us to get outside and enjoy watching everything that’s going on around us. I’ve been watching some butterflies, moths, bats, hedgehogs and a variety of birds in my garden, including recently some families of Goldfinch. Earlier on this year, Blue Tits successfully raised a brood of chicks in my new nest box.

It’s always a good idea to give your nest boxes a clear out once a year, and it’s also interesting to take a look inside at the nest. Cleaning the box ensures that nothing untoward is lurking in there over the winter months to infest the new nest in the spring the following year. You can sometimes get parasites and insects that will lie in wait for an unsuspecting brood of chicks, reducing their chances of survival.

Take the box down and open it up. If there is a nest in there you can dispose of it as you see fit, but it’s a good idea to put it in your compost bin. Any dead chicks can also be put in the compost bin and so can any unfertilised eggs, but legally, the eggs should be destroyed. Brush out any loose material, and pour boiling water throughout the box, but take care not to splash yourself with the hot water. Allow it to dry completely before putting the box back together and back in place for another year. We sometimes hear of people that only put their nest boxes up in the spring and summer, but if you leave the box up all year round it can give the birds a safe place to roost in over the winter months. You also stand a better chance of the box being used in the spring.

Blue Tit nest from this year - Deb Depledge

You don’t need to put any nesting material into the box, but if you want to you can put some hay or sawdust in the bottom of the box, but not straw as it can harbour mold. You may find in the spring that you see birds taking this material out of the box, but that’s okay as it means they may be nesting soon and are just having a clear out, or they may just be using the material as the base for their new nest. If birds do show an interest in the box, resist the urge to take a peek as it may put them off. Birds can check out a few potential nest sites before they choose the one they like, so they may start taking nesting material into the box and then give up. Hopefully, that won’t happen and they will make full use of your nest box and raise their young successfully.

You can put nest boxes up at any time of the year, so you don’t need to wait for the spring. If you put boxes up that have different size access holes, you may have more than one species of bird nesting in your garden. Don’t forget your open fronted boxes too, which are excellent for Robins and Wrens and can be cleaned out in the same way.

Give the birds in your garden a winter roosting site and check out the nest boxes on our website. There is also a link to a page which explains the best place to put up your box and give it the best chance of being used.

http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/birds-wildlife/nestboxes/garden-bird-nestboxes.html

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/nestboxes/smallbirds/siting.aspx