Garden Birds

Providing artificial nest sites for birds has a surprisingly long history.

Pigeons were probably the first birds to be domesticated and, as such, the first to be furnished with artificial homes in the form of dovecotes.

The Romans were particularly fond of pigeons, or at least their taste, and built many huge dovecotes known as 'columbaria'. Then, after some Saxon indifference, the Normans reintroduced the practice.

In medieval times, no self-respecting castle was to be found without a place for pigeon holes in lofty turrets, guaranteeing a ready supply of meat for the winter.

Provision of artificial nest sites for pleasure, rather than for culinary reasons, dates back at least to the 18th Century.

Wildlife enthusiast Gilbert White noted in his journal on 5 June 1752 that his brother, Thomas, had rather ingeniously nailed a number of large scallops under the eaves of his house and successfully attracted house martins to nest. 

In Victorian times the mildly eccentric Charles Waterton carried out numerous experiments at Walton Hall in South Yorkshire in the provision of nesting spaces, including owl houses and a wonderful looking starling tower.

The BBC's Simon King is backing Nest Box Week

The real 'father' of the modern nest box, however, was Baron von Berlepsch, a wealthy German landowner and naturalist. Working in the late 19th century, Berlepsch was interested in ways of increasing bird populations in woodland for the natural control of insect pests.

In a precise and scientific way, he studied the way birds nested in cavities and successfully replicated this through a range of boxes.

Not satisfied with simply placing one or two, he went into the business of manufacture on a huge scale, placing 2,000 in one of his woods and selling many more in Germany and, under license, abroad.

Indeed, some of the first nest boxes ever offered for sale by the RSPB were from the good Baron - at prices ranging from 1s6d to 5s6d.

Today, nest boxes are a common site in and around our gardens and undoubtedly support significant numbers of nesting birds, particularly blue tits and great tits who find them ideal alternatives to natural tree holes.

Making nest boxes is one of the easier DIY tasks. It's not without its subtleties though.

Recently, I helped Jess from the BBC Devon breakfast show make a nest box live on-air. We had all the tools and a  plank of wood of the right length and width as specified on the RSPB's website.

However, it was thicker than specified, which threw all the measurements out. Some rapid re-thinking and extra sawing was required to avoid a box with rather more air conditioning than required.

Here's some general advice, should you want to provide your own nest box. To start with, I'd suggest a box designed for blue tits rather than one for more exotic species.

Blue tits are often tempted by nest boxes

Size is important - the box should neither be too big, forcing the parents to pad out the space with extra material and making it more difficult for the chicks to keep warm and snug, or too small, in which case the nest won't fit!

Four inches square is ideal. Provide a hinged lid to provide access to clean out the box in Autumn and a back board for securing to a suitable tree or fence.

For wood, try a seasoned softwood which won't warp or split as soon as it's shown a nail. Rough wood is fine too, as it'll give the chicks some grip when they are ready to climb out. Feel free to treat the wood, but only use safe water based preservative.

As mentioned above, all this can be made from a single plank of wood 41''x6'' - but remember that thickness, 15mm! See the RSPB website for details plans, and more on the subtleties of design than I'm providing in this quick overview.

Hole size - for blue tits about one to one and a half inches is fine, and don't be tempted to provide a perch outside the hole, a nice thought but it'll just give predators a foothold and it's not necessary for blue tits.

When you are ready to site the box, simply choose a place out of the prevailing wind, out of direct warm sunlight, and 5' to 6' above ground. Best time to put up a nest box is between November and the end of February, so that it's in place when early enough in the season for the birds to include it in their list of potential residences.

Then keep your fingers crossed!

By March, if the box is going to be used, you should notice birds flying to and fro with nest material. One word of warning: don't be tempted to take a peek inside the box, this can disturb the birds and cause them to abandon.

Just leave nature to take her course and within a month and half or so you should see young birds flopping around the garden. If you are lucky, the box may be used for a second brood.

Once you've provided one successful nest box, and if space allows, you may want to provide different sorts of nest boxes for different species. A huge range of birds, from owls to ducks, have all used them in one design or another. Again, check out the RSPB's website for more details.

And don't forget, if you are (like me) rather lacking in DIY skills, you can buy boxes ready made, and even nowadays with built-in webcams should you wish to safely follow the birds progress from the comfort of you computer screen!

National Nest Box Week takes place each year from 14-21 February to focus the nation's attention on the provision of nest boxes for Britain's birds and other wildlife.

To find out more visit http://www.bto.org/nnbw

For general RSPB advice on nestboxes visit www.rspb.org.uk