• Ignatius
  • 27 Feb 2023 9:40 AM
  • State Not Answered
  • Replies 7 replies
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Should we discourage nesting?

[should have thought about this sooner!]

There's been an open-fronted nest box in our garden for years which has been completely ignored by both us and the birds, until now.  We have a robin casin' the joint with some enthusiasm but she hasn't started building yet (as of 0800 this morning).  The male has been around for a couple of years and is very tame - he would be unphased by out presence but the female is much more flighty, and definitely would be.  The box is fairly exposed (in two months it will be well hidden in jasmine, but not now), about 1 m from the ground and about 1.5 m from a feeder.  As we are almost the only house on the road without cats, they all seem to frequent (and defecate in) our garden.  I'm wondering if we should actually remove the box due to it's exposure?  While it would be lovely to have lodgers, we're worried that leaving the box there is actually going to increase their chance of getting munched, or suffering nest failures.

Thoughts?

  • ItisaRobbo
    I'd leave it. Unfortunately, 21st Century UK gardens are no longer suitable for nesting birds in a large number of cases (vast majority?). Most species fail here every year, incl in well hidden nests. Cats are a big factor, foxes, weasels, squirrels but other birds too, via nest predation or nest theft in some cases. Song thrushes must rely on woodland success as I've not seen juveniles in gardens for decades. Seen plenty of failed nests incl in the garden. Robins have several goes so percentages say they'll get at least one failure anyway.
  • HazelH-915756823
    Can you raise it a bit higher up the wall?
  • ItisaRobbo

    In reply to HazelH-915756823:

    HazelH-915756823 said:
    Can you raise it a bit higher up the wall?

    Fair comment if possible, though I'd have thought it would inevitably make it more exposed. I'd also move that feeder referred to further away.

  • ItisaRobbo
    Having thought a few seconds, I don't think moving the nestbox now is good timing. The birds are showing an interest, and moving it would run the risk of putting them off.
  • Ignatius

    In reply to ItisaRobbo:

    Thanks. We'd do both if possible but it's almost at the top and any further up would massively increase accessibility to everything except the cats, and it would make it more visible to them. The feeder is already as far away as practical - the garden is only 2 m long.
  • ItisaRobbo

    In reply to Ignatius:

    Might be worth taking down the feeder if nesting does occur. Territorial defending may draw attention to the site.
  • tuwit

    In reply to ItisaRobbo:

    Totally agree. Feeding stations and nest boxes require a fair amount of separation. Proximity creates conflicts. Sadly, sometimes you can't fit everything into a small urban plot.

    There again I've seen unsuitably sited nestboxes (which invariably go unused, i.e. for over a decade now) on a rather larger plot. That's called "lip service" to wildlife imo.

    An active feeding station may also attract a raptor (well, feeding stations are not selective), which could then result in the nesting attempt being abandonned.