recommend nest boxes please

[Wig]

I've always wanted to put up bird boxes birdbox bird box (just adding some search words to the post), but I find the nestbox in the garden centres are very expensive. and I'm not sure which size to put out.

I want to provide for blue tits, great tits, robins, gold finch, nuthatch, house sparrows. Not all at once! but these are the birds around me.

I'd also like to provide for swallows / house martins but we don't have any here that I know of. They used to exist about 15 miles south of here (my parents house, I think they are still in that area but I can't be sure). The eves on those houses are very wide, i.e. they overhang the walls by about 2 feet, so I think that's why they like it there. I have no overhangs on my eves what so ever.

I was just writing at my computer when I heard a bird chirp outside my window, I turned around to see what I think was a great tit holding onto the render around my window "looking" and chirping, I wonder if he was looking for a nest site or for food. So I was inspired to write this post.

Perhaps it is too late in the season to put up bird box?

Anyway, I need advice about what boxes to use and I need examples of where I can buy them GOOD & CHEAP, I would make my own but I don't have the facilities to do it.

Thanks for your help.

[Elean0r]

I bought some quite good, not too expensive, ones from a well known auction site. There's information about putting them up on the RSPB site.

It might be too late for this year, but you never know, so I'd put some up as quickly as you can

[Lincs Yellowbelly]

These ones are very good for the money, and nice and natural looking

CJ WildBird Foods - Birch Log Hole Nest Box

[ChrisJB]

Follow Yellow Belly's advice. CJs has a stack of good, different nestboxes, not like the rubbish ones I sometimes see in places like some garden centres.

Regards, Chris

[Elizabeth B]

Originally Posted by Wig

Anyway, I need advice about what boxes to use and I need examples of where I can buy them GOOD & CHEAP, I would make my own but I don't have the facilities to do it.

Thanks for your help.

I'm not sure that GOOD and CHEAP go together - do you know anyone who might make one or two for you?

There's a lot of information here:

The RSPB: Advice: Making a nestbox

[Jonathan]

There's a good BTO pdf here:

www.bto.org/notices/nestbox.pdf

Jonathan