New accomodation courtesy of Teamtractor

[Walker570]

Nathan dropped a whole load of oak offcuts for me and I was very grateful but short of ideas at the time, however in the last few weeks I have seen a huge influx of blue tits, great tits etc etc in our wood so I decided to put together five or six more nest boxes for them and Nathans oak would just fit the bill along with some planks left over from a new cow shed.

Again, waste not want not.

I thought I might experiment and just leave about a 3/4 inch gap under the lid at the front and see if they used that as well.  I believe nuthatches tend to use slots in trees for their nesting sites.

Water based fence paint to just dampen down the colour a bit.   Perches yet to be put in place.  bracket at the top and back extended below drilled and the boxes will be attached to trees with those hexagon headed wood screws as straps tighten and break after a couple of years.  The hex heads screws can be unscrewed and refitted as needed.

Edited December 6, 2021 by Walker570

[Dave-G]

Proper job Neville. 

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Well done Nev  

[team tractor]

Job well done . I have piles of the stuff around still . Just ask 👍

[ditchman]

there should be a 12 deg slope on the roofs

[Mice!]

They might be a bit deep those Nev, the birds use the door mouse boxes in one of the woods I shoot, there tiny looking boxes but always full of birds.

[Walker570]

42 minutes ago, ditchman said:

there should be a 12 deg slope on the roofs

Didn't actualy measure the degrees but did put a slope on and the roofs will be covered with roofing felt before installing.  Do you know, I have watched these little birds flying around for many years and never ever seen one with a protractor

A lot like the Natural England Prof who told me dormice never go above 10 feet above ground.  She was not amused when I said I had seen a few and none had an altimeter with them.

[ditchman]

39 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Didn't actualy measure the degrees but did put a slope on and the roofs will be covered with roofing felt before installing.  Do you know, I have watched these little birds flying around for many years and never ever seen one with a protractor

A lot like the Natural England Prof who told me dormice never go above 10 feet above ground.  She was not amused when I said I had seen a few and none had an altimeter with them.

Haaaaaa  HHHHHHaaaaaaaaa....................you are such a wag😐

[Fisheruk]

6 hours ago, ditchman said:

there should be a 12 deg slope on the roofs

Building Regs 🤔

[mel b3]

17 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Nathan dropped a whole load of oak offcuts for me and I was very grateful but short of ideas at the time, however in the last few weeks I have seen a huge influx of blue tits, great tits etc etc in our wood so I decided to put together five or six more nest boxes for them and Nathans oak would just fit the bill along with some planks left over from a new cow shed.

Again, waste not want not.

I thought I might experiment and just leave about a 3/4 inch gap under the lid at the front and see if they used that as well.  I believe nuthatches tend to use slots in trees for their nesting sites.

Water based fence paint to just dampen down the colour a bit.   Perches yet to be put in place.  bracket at the top and back extended below drilled and the boxes will be attached to trees with those hexagon headed wood screws as straps tighten and break after a couple of years.  The hex heads screws can be unscrewed and refitted as needed.

Cracking job nev.

If you do a Google (I'm not techie enough to do a link) , you'll find a site that gives the dimensions for ,  entrance holes , entrance hole placement,  perch placement etc , so that you can target particular types of birds . I just thought a birdbox was a birdbox , but I found the whole subject quite fascinating.  It's amazing that some birds will ignore a birdbox if the entrance is just a few mm too big , or the perch is below the hole instead of above the hole.

[ditchman]

1 minute ago, mel b3 said:

Cracking job nev.

If you do a Google (I'm not techie enough to do a link) , you'll find a site that gives the dimensions for ,  entrance holes , entrance hole placement,  perch placement etc , so that you can target particular types of birds . I just thought a birdbox was a birdbox , but I found the whole subject quite fascinating.  It's amazing that some birds will ignore a birdbox if the entrance is just a few mm too big , or the perch is below the hole instead of above the hole.

Facinating.........im just lost for words

[mel b3]

30 minutes ago, ditchman said:

Facinating.........im just lost for words

I have the feeling that ginger will be one of the lost words  😁.

[ditchman]

14 minutes ago, mel b3 said:

I have the feeling that ginger will be one of the lost words  😁.

🤢

[Walker570]

6 hours ago, mel b3 said:

Cracking job nev.

If you do a Google (I'm not techie enough to do a link) , you'll find a site that gives the dimensions for ,  entrance holes , entrance hole placement,  perch placement etc , so that you can target particular types of birds . I just thought a birdbox was a birdbox , but I found the whole subject quite fascinating.  It's amazing that some birds will ignore a birdbox if the entrance is just a few mm too big , or the perch is below the hole instead of above the hole.

Yes, been through all that but blue tits have now nested four years out of five in a ragged hole in the end of our yard wall which must be four inches across and always raised a brood. The one year they gave up was when some of those orange bummed bumble bees, the ones you do not annoy decided to build a nest there.  Personally I believe it is location location location and like us humans they eye up the location before making a decision.  The aim is to provide at least twenty different choces through the wood and be happy if five of them are accepted.   Being a relatively new wood very few of the trees have holes so I have to provide the artificial ones.  Thanks for the heads up anyway.

[NoBodyImportant]

Looks nice 

[NatureBoy]

23 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Yes, been through all that but blue tits have now nested four years out of five in a ragged hole in the end of our yard wall which must be four inches across and always raised a brood. The one year they gave up was when some of those orange bummed bumble bees, the ones you do not annoy decided to build a nest there.  Personally I believe it is location location location and like us humans they eye up the location before making a decision.  The aim is to provide at least twenty different choces through the wood and be happy if five of them are accepted.   Being a relatively new wood very few of the trees have holes so I have to provide the artificial ones.  Thanks for the heads up anyway.

Good post! Gt boxes!🙂 As you say. Location! Location! Location! Think where you found them nesting naturally and when we were kids. Keep it simple, I never bother about hole sizes or with perches. less for predators to hang on to or competition to perch and harass/predate occupier. They don't have to be pretty either. I use old boots wedged in ivy or screwed in place. Soon blend in. Can even be tied with laces and hole adjusted to size. Old wellies good to and blend in well. Can get 4 plus out of a pair with a bit of imagination. Tree sparrows in them on one site this year. 15= 25L plastic barrels work for owls and kestrels. In buildings and outside. Cut, heat, bend, sorted. Lighter and easier to install. Get box's up or clean them out folks as birds will still use them for roosting this time of year. . . . . . . . Some boffins been saying recently we shouldn't even be providing box's or feed birds at all. Saying can spread disease, provides more for dominate species and predators. Think I'll carry on trusting what i see, use common sense and do more targeted pest control. Nature and conservation needs better trained more knowledgeable scientists, field workers and ecologists who really care! Who are prepared to listen to and work with the likes of GWCT, land managers, pest controllers and practitioners who know the ground and it's wildlife.        NB 

[ditchman]

On 06/12/2021 at 22:24, Fisheruk said:

Building Regs 🤔

we both think Building Regs will jump on you........and no self respecting sparrow is going to move into one of them cause they wont be able to get a mortgage...

[Walker570]

Three and four now in place.  These two have different access arrangements. I have left a slot under the roof to see if the birds take to that idea. The roofs are also made of Stockboard, I had some offcuts handy and they are weather proof I intend cuttin some to size for the others.  All of these nest boxes are in the wood so I am choosing different aspects of the compass to see what they prefer.    I know from past experience only about 50% of what you put up will get used.  I then slightly reposition and often get a nest the following year.  I put up all my new boxes around now or early January so they get some weathring are in place, part of the furiture before the birds start to look for nesting sites.    Fingers crossed.    I have sufficient timber to make another half dozen at least,   As you can see these 'new' trees do not have holes so the more sites I can put up the better.

[JKD]

In reference to the point of compass,,,, all the nests (built and in hollow trees, including woodpeckers) at my GF's are facing S/SW. One ancient cherry tree has two woodpecker holes, a few natural splits with hollows behind in which starlings, stock doves, little owls, and great tits regularly nest, all aiming S/SW 😉 Blackbirds try nesting just above the great tits, but that nest always gets its eggs predated as it's too exposed.

And well done for helping the littl'uns 👍

Edited December 18, 2021 by JKD

[billytheghillie]

Between North and East is best for them.

[Walker570]

Wrll, after about 30yrs in this wood/property I have come to the conclusion they will tell you where they want to live.....much like humans.

That is why I set them at different angles and locations although a large part of a relatively new wood all looks much the same.  I have another eight to make up so we will see if any of them get used next spring.

 

[JKD]

42 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Wrll, after about 30yrs in this wood/property I have come to the conclusion they will tell you where they want to live.....much like humans.

That is why I set them at different angles and locations although a large part of a relatively new wood all looks much the same.  I have another eight to make up so we will see if any of them get used next spring.

 

Hi Walker570, in my previous post I was only pointing out what the birds do naturally in my GF's paddock. I did put up a single nest box on a now felled ash tree, in which great tits nested successfully 5 years out of 6,,,, this was within view of the house (so she could see it) and NWW facing. If you Google which direction, it suggests between N and E as said above, and I'm sure I read somewhere "not in full sunlight", so it's obvious that Google isn't available down at my GF's 🤭

As you said, the birds will eventually show you the best locations 👍

[boo]

Bit more of team tractor oak in the base , clock face is spalted beech , Xmas gift for a friend. 

[Walker570]

I love spalted timber. He will be over the moon with that I bet.  My art and design teacher used to tell us that simplicity is the best of all designwork and that clock covers it 100%

[ditchman]

On 19/12/2021 at 17:11, Walker570 said:

Wrll, after about 30yrs in this wood/property I have come to the conclusion they will tell you where they want to live.....much like humans.

That is why I set them at different angles and locations although a large part of a relatively new wood all looks much the same.  I have another eight to make up so we will see if any of them get used next spring.

 

much like wives ...............Hmmmmmm