nesting

mikehoward · #1 (**permalink**) 29-03-2011, 11:09 AM

Hello everyone, just wondering if the rule applies that all bird nestboxes no matter which species should be a fair distance away from any bird feeding stations or are some birds more tolerant than others.

barquar · #2 (**permalink**) 29-03-2011, 11:18 AM

I would say the futher away the better. But I have 2 Bluetits taking in nesting material that is only about 8 ft away from a feeding station.They have been guarding this box for about a month chasing sparrows away.They are now taking horse hair in the box.
Barquar

Dogghound · #3 (**permalink**) 29-03-2011, 01:13 PM

Its generally better to place them away from nest sites. The large amounts of bird traffic can cause disruption to birds which hold a territory within that area. Adittionally feeding station attract predators which may take advantage of breeding birds if they find them.

RKB · #4 (**permalink**) 29-03-2011, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barquar

They are now taking horse hair in the box.
Barquar

You might want to stop that, and remove any, both inside and outside of the box. Horse hair can be lethal to them and their chicks, as it is can get wrapped round the legs like a noose.

Ladywell · #5 (**permalink**) 29-03-2011, 03:21 PM

Depends if it is mane/tail hair (which is coarse and will cause problems) if it is naturally cast body hair then it is soft and woolly and won't cause a problem. When our ponies start losing their winter coats (like now) I put the hair in an old fatball feeder and the birds help themselves to line their nests!

solus · #6 (**permalink**) 29-03-2011, 04:55 PM

Many years ago one winter an old Wren's nest fell out of a hedge in the garden opposite the field a pony-pal of mine lived in. The entire structure appeared to have been made from the hair we had brushed from the pony's coat and must have been incredibly warm and cosy! It was a real work of art.

We also saw a Robin on more than one occasion picking loose hair off the pony's back - he was too thick-skinned to be aware of it and was only interested in his food!

witham · #7 (**permalink**) 30-03-2011, 09:04 AM

We regularly have wrens nesting in our small barn and they line their nests with horse or in our case pony hair and we have seen it in other birds nest, when I brush him I leave small clumps of hair where the birds have access to it and alot of it gets used, it is the short body hair though not main or tail.