Despite the festivities of Christmas and the New Year remaining
fresh in most of our minds, the ever lengthening days and lighter evenings
provide a cue for many bird species to start prospecting nesting sites for the
forthcoming spring. In the case of Tree Sparrows and House Sparrows, some species
may have done so already, using a nestbox or nest site as somewhere to roost
through the winter. Just this morning I was even welcomed on to the Nature
Reserve by the spring-like sounds of an enthusiastic male chaffinch in full
song.
With the start of the bird breeding season already
underway it could be a cue for you, if you haven’t done so already, to consider
placing a nestbox in your garden to provide a habitat for, and encourage
breeding birds.
A Need for Nestboxes
People often ask the question: "Do nestboxes in
gardens really serve any useful purpose other than giving pleasure to us
humans?" The answer to that question is quite simply - yes they do! Gardens
are an extremely important wildlife habitat. The total area of all gardens in Britain
well exceeds that of all nature reserves. Over the past 50 years, the
landscape around us has changed dramatically. Towns and cities have become
larger and the countryside has become more intensively managed. This has led to
the loss of valuable wildlife habitat to the
extent that natural nesting sites are now in decline. Nestboxes placed in
gardens can therefore make a real difference to the success or failure of a breeding
species in a given area.
Even on a Nature Reserve as wild and diverse as
Attenborough, nestbox schemes have provided a lifeline to local bird populations
such as the Tree Sparrow, which may otherwise have fallen victim to habitat
loss in the surrounding farmland. In January 2009, 12 nestboxes were erected on
the Willow Peninsula (the Nature Centre’s wildlife
garden). Many of these boxes attracted nesting birds within the first year, and
subsequently went on to raise multiple broods. So successful has this scheme
become that over 100 Tree Sparrow chicks have been raised since it began (based
on ringing data).
More recently, in 2011, we launched our Willow Tit
nestbox scheme. This species has suffered an alarming decline of 91% in the UK since the 1970’s,
through the destruction of its damp woodland habitat. It is hoped that careful
habitat management combined with the installation of special nestboxes
(designed to resemble rotting tree stumps) will provide an opportunity for this
once common woodland bird to thrive again at Attenborough.
Tips for Choosing and
Siting Your Nestbox
If you’d like to provide a home for birds in your garden
there are a few simple tips to follow: The size of the hole will dictate which
species of bird will use the box – a 32mm hole will suit most common garden
birds such as Great Tits, Blue Tits and sparrows. When siting your box, make
sure that it is out of reach of predators; Site your box in a position where it
will not be in direct sunlight for a large part of the day (preferably north
facing); Robins like their open-fronted boxes fairly low down and in the cover
of an overhanging ivy or shrub, but again think about predators; For the
hole-type boxes for Starlings and House Sparrows, the higher the box, the
better. Make sure there is a clear flight path in to the nestbox; Make sure
that wherever you site the box, that it is securely fixed.
