10 Quick Tips for Next Boxes

10 Quick Tips for Setting Up Nest Boxes

1. Pick a nest box that is easy to clean

2. Always face the nest box between North and East so that it avoids any direct sunlight and any wet/windy weather.

3. Make sure you give the birds a clear flight path so that they can get away of predators quickly. 

4. Tilt your bird box forward slightly so that any rain/snow will bounce off the roof of the box and will avoid the entrance hole.

5. Nest boxes for starlings, sparrow and tits should be two to four metres up a tree or a wall.

6. 25mm hole for marsh, blue and coal tits, 28mm hole for great tits and tree sparrows, 32mm for nuthatches and house sparrows and 45mm for starlings.

7. Wrens and Robins like open fronted nest boxes, that are low to the ground (below 2 metres) and with plenty of coverage.

8. Woodpecker boxes should be three to five metres high on a thick tree trunk, again with a clear flight path and any disturbance.

9. Once the season is over, make sure you get ride of any debris from the nest box, including any eggs and all this can go into the compost and clean accordingly.

10. Birds will start looking for nest boxes or somewhere to nest during the autumn and winter and some often use the same box for years to come!