Hi, I am fairly new to bird watching and reading the forum I realise I am late in putting up my nestboxes so I want to get on with it. My bird books say I should site my boxes away from a feeding area but it doesn't say how far away. What is a respectable distance, can anyone help?
Hi,
my tit box faces north on a fence near my kitchen window and is 30 feet from the nearest feeder- I rest the feeding station from april to october and clean it up etc.
:))
S
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Hi seymouraves,
Thank you for your reply. My problem is the back of my house faces south. So the ideal place would be at the bottom of my garden facing the house and so facing north. There is a tree just outside my garden at the back of my fence that I though of using as a possible sight. I wanted to put up a tit box but it would mean it would be about 4 yards from my feeding station. Do you think that is too close?
hello..
firstly nestboxes should if possable be pointed east, theres a reason for this
1) the west is no good as the rain in uk mostly comes add westly direction eg NW/ W or SW so any rain would in fact enter the nestbox...
2) south and the box would get full sun, baking the young birds in the nest in early summer..
3) north would see cold north winds blowing into the box resulting in birds dieing because cold...
so the idea compass point to point the box at would be east/south east...sun rise from east
regards how far away they should be is easlier answered...
as far away as is possable... again the reason is that the birds useing the nestbox would have set up their little Terratories and would be garding them like... any other blue-tit, great-tit that would visit the feeders nearby within their territories would pose a threat to them and their young. resulting in much fighting.
i have feeders in my garden at top and bottom by pond. my nestboxs are set up at side of house (half way up garden) and in cherry tree at side of driveway above 50 yards way from any feeders
dont just look enjoy and leave for others to share after you. we dont own the earth we just rent a small part of it....
Surely the direction the box faces depends on the topography of the garden in question? Trees, others buildings, that may provide shelter and/or shade, local prevailing winds and so forth. Also, my terrace box has 3 holes; one in the front and one either side. It therefore faces 3 directions at once.
Cheers, Linda.
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Sparrow i would agree with ya normaly here mate as ya are right but i have aways been told (by wildlife trust officers) that i help to point them east..... trees buildings and so on do of course come into play but if ya think about all that the answer gotta be to point them east so they dont get cold winds, rain and boiling sun into them... another good reason i think is that during the breeding season March to July we dont often encounter any COLD eastly winds... so for my the logical answer would to be point them East...
Thank you all for your advice. I will have to have a re-think about my original plan I could...and probably will put it on the east side of my house. I had hoped to be able to watch the box from my window which I won't be able to do but never mind. The bonus is it is safe... far too high for cats