Guidance in providing nesting sites for birds

[Stomperone]

My garden is a bit weird and so I was wondering, if I put a photo or two of my garden in here would someone be able to guide me as to the best place to put the boxes/baskets?

I don't have the photos at the moment but can put them on here tomorrow (friday) if it does not rain too hard..

[zharca]

Hi, I think that would be a good idea. I'd really appreciate advice from people who've put up successful nest boxes.

[The Black Rabbit]

What was that about rain Stomperone?!
Pop some photo's up, and I'll see what I can suggest butttt.....
There is at least member on here also (Elizabeth B) who is certainly expert and VERY experienced in matters like this... (much more than me).

Anyway - get out in dat rain and post the photographs!
Doug

[Stomperone]

(Friday) Oh dear its chucking it down ... maybe I'll take a couple from my window .. Thank you for your offer I will be taking you up on it

Peter

[Kayleigh]

I have got 1 Sparrow box, 2 Bluetit box's, and 1 robin box. I have never seen anything nest in them. They do roost in them though.

I think it because I feed the birds a lot (my garden is always fill of birds)they just seem to nest elsewhere then come to mine for lunch. So you can lead a horse to water as is was. Good luck with yours.

[Lincs Yellowbelly]

I just tend to pick tree's in a general area and place them N/NE direction last year out of 10 boxes(i think) I had birds nest in 8 of them, Blue and Great Tits Dn't place Boxes to closely together and not near feeding area's and you'll be fine, as a rough guide in a 4 acre site I put up 8 Boxes.

[nightshade]

Lincs Yellowbelly has had good results 8 out of 10, my boxes are used for roosting but only a couple (out of 7 now) have been used for nesting
I have two bat boxes neither of which have been used yet although there
has been a bat roosting (probably a male) in the soffits on and off

[jamiewade94]

Make sure the box isn't south facing, becasue i think that birds dont like the strong morning sun to flood their nest boxes!

[Elizabeth B]

Originally Posted by The Black Rabbit

There is at least member on here also (Elizabeth B) who is certainly expert and VERY experienced in matters like this... (much more than me).
Doug

Oooh Doug!

I must point out that Doug is mainly referring to nest boxes here - and it was just a matter of luck (and a certain amount of garden management) that we now get a good variety of birds. When we moved here 17 years ago, the back garden consisted mainly of lawn, with a few climbing roses stapled to the fence!!!! a small rhododendron and a Portuguese laurel tree - and not many birds!!!! I was so disappointed.

However there is a thick hornbeam hedge along one side, a hornbeam in one corner, and a row of mature trees along the opposite boundary (in our neighbour’s garden). There are two oaks, a few silver birches, as well as holly, hazel, hawthorn and a lot of ivy scrambling over the silver birches.

We planted quite a few shrubs, including Cotoneaster and Pyracantha for their berries, and put up several feeders. I now have two poles for hanging feeders - each has a hearts feeder and a black sunflower feeder, as well as peanuts and niger seed. I also make suet blocks to put in a caged feeder that keeps out squirrels, starlings and larger birds.

The garden is just 55 ' X 55' - the feeder poles and bird table (complete with squirrel baffles) can be seen here:



And here is the suet block feeder - the birds can demolish a block like this in a couple of days at busy times!



NB This is an edited version of all I originally wrote - if anyone would like the full version, just PM me your email address, and I'll send you a copy. Information about our three camera equipped nest boxes can be seen on our website.

[The Black Rabbit]

Elizabeth B and Kayleigh (et.al.)
There is another interesting point now, on this thread.
The BTO (thanks Elizabeth for the report) suggest there is a CLEAR difference in nesting rates or occupancies between gardens with nestboxes AND feeders in, and gardens with JUST nestboxes in.
Allegedly, the potentially breeding / nesting birds waste too much valuable energy on defending territory in a "feeder garden" rather than concentrating their energy in breeding, without getting tetchy with other birds (especially finches and sparrows after sunflower hearts) in their "patch".

Soooo...
One can set up a "feeder garden" OR a "breeder garden"?

Your garden seems to have a few feeders though Elizabeth. Do you go easy on feeding da boyds as nesting begins? Or are the feeders some distance away from the nest boxes?

We just have one feeder in our garden now, and our garden is very small, (we did have some nuts, but have taken them down) so its just a nyjer/sun. heart feeder now.

We DID have a sieve full of juicy mealworms and waxworms last year - pretty darn close to our nesting Blue Tits - ie within 12'.
The tits would compete with the "local gang of sparras" for these morsels, but we got enough to keep the tits happy.
I actually believe we may have REALLY helped the nestlings last year, with our free grub, after reading the BTO report and horror stories from up and down the country regarding the weather and dead chicks.
That said, our pair did nest about 2 weeks earlier than most unsuccessful pairs I read about - maybe that was luck, but they JUST missed the terrible weather and therefore real hard times with lack of suitable caterpillars.

I think I'll keep our sunflower heart feeder up, for the Goldfinches, and restock our Waxworm / Mealworm feeder if we get a family in our nestbox again, and leave it at that...
Hopefully the May weather will be better than last year (how can it BE that bad again?!) and we'll get another wee family of successful fledglings...

Last year's "worm" sieve...

Doug