Continuing from a recent thread about the nest box.

[HanDiiMaNz]

Do you think a size 2.8 cm hole is appropriate? and what will it attract?


Thanks.

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by HanDiiMaNz

Do you think a size 2.8 cm hole is appropriate? and what will it attract?


Thanks.

BTO recomended hole sizes are as follows:

Blue tit and coal tit 25mm hole,
great tit 28mm hole,
house sparrow, tree sparrow and nuthatch 32mm hole.

you wont get the smaller birds with bigger holes as the large ones oust them.

and if you want robins, thrushes etc then you need an open fronted design (note that there are also special designs for flycatchers, kestrel, owl etc)

[HanDiiMaNz]

Originally Posted by eeyore

BTO recomended hole sizes are as follows:

Blue tit and coal tit 25mm hole,
great tit 28mm hole,
house sparrow, tree sparrow and nuthatch 32mm hole.

you wont get the smaller birds with bigger holes as the large ones oust them.

and if you want robins, thrushes etc then you need an open fronted design (note that there are also special designs for flycatchers, kestrel, owl etc)

Ah i see.. so i'm guessing by smaller birds you mean blue tit, coal tit, marsh tit, willow tit, long-tailed tit etc. Will get moved out by the great tit?

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by HanDiiMaNz

Ah i see.. so i'm guessing by smaller birds you mean blue tit, coal tit, marsh tit, willow tit, long-tailed tit etc. Will get moved out by the great tit?

yep - if you want them you need a hole no bigger than 25mm - though long tailed tits might not use it anyway as they prefer a more crevice like enclosure - they have been known to nest in roosting pockets for example

[Elizabeth B]

We've found that great tits won't go in a box with a 28mm hole. A couple of years ago two great tits were desperate to use one of our boxes, so eventually we made the hole 30mm and the male went in the same day. The female started building her nest the next day - and it was complete the day after that.

This year two of our boxes have been used by bluetits - both holes are 28mm. Great tits inspected one of them on several occasions, but never went inside.