Good morning,
For the third year in a row, we have a had a successful nest of blue tits in our nest box. This is the first year I have had a camera in it; it's been wonderful to watch their journey from "claiming" the box in mid-January to all 10 babies fledging successfully yesterday. We have learned a lot, got loads of great videos, and I still have hours of footage to go through to catch up on anything we missed!
As I understand it, blue tits are unlikely to return and have a second brood this year. The box entrance is protected with a metal plate and 28mm hole, which really limits it to just blue tits; however, it will now likely sit empty for the rest of the year. I was considering the possibility of temporarily replacing the 28mm plate and replacing it with a 30 or 32mm one to encourage other species which have a second brood later in the year to use it.
Is this something the experts would think is ok, or is considered inadvisable and just leave the box completely alone until cleaning it out in autumn? My thinking is that it would be nice to provide a home to another family of birds if we have the opportunity and watch another breed at work; however, I'm very conscious of not interfering with the nest for a while (even though it's obviously now been finished with) and also I wouldn't want the blue tits to be put off returning to the box next spring - I'm hopeful they will given that we have had three consecutive years.
If I was to install a larger hole, is it preferable to leave the blue tits' nest intact for another species to use - I'm very mindful that the law might prevent me from touching it at the moment, even though it is now abandoned - or do they prefer to build their own nest from scratch, meaning they would prefer an empty box?
Thank you for any tips!
That seems an obvious question, but I've actually never seen it asked! Good question too....
IMO, best not to do anything. Many box nesters will not be interested in using a box from June onwards anyway. Any that might, like house sparrows, prefer different locations to blue tits (usually, though one sparrow got stuck trying to get into an active blue tit nestbox).
Another issue is if the box does get used by a house sparrow, even though you replace the smaller plate at the end of the nesting season, will the sparrows give up the box willingly next year? Might not be able to fit, but probably will try.....it wouldn't be a surprise if one defends the box even if it can't get in.
If you're happy with blue tits, I would do nothing other than clean out the box in Autumn.
Thank you very much for this - indeed, I wouldn't want the blue tits to be displaced if sparrows refused to give up the box (we have LOTS of sparrows around!) so I think I will leave it all well alone. Indeed, some of the local sparrows already have a home - in a small gap in the side of our roof next to the chimney for the second year in a row. I'm more than happy to have them there, as I think sometime previously there used to be a wasp nest in there and I think the sparrows are probably keeping the wasps away from it!
One thing I need to do, however, is retrieve the memory card from the camera inside the box. The box can be left in situ and the front can be briefly removed to access it (it can also function as an open-fronted box for species like robins) - I assume now the blue tits have departed, it's not considered an issue to do this and wouldn't count as "disturbing the nest"?
Just my opinion, and others may disagree, but if the camera says there's nothing in the box, taking the card out now seems fair enough.