Nest boxes

[safcrob]

Has anyone ever bought one or made one and had birds nest inside? you must need a big garden and a few trees to get results.

 

[Butcher's Coat]

Aye, made one, and got it in the back garden.
Blue Tits have come and nested every year.

 

[riffraff]

Consult rspb before making your own as some hole sizes suit birds that won’t nest without other boxes in the vicinity and having just one may mean it goes unused etc

 

[Charmless Man]

Has anyone ever bought one or made one and had birds nest inside? you must need a big garden and a few trees to get results.

Not necessarily. I have a small garden which has birds nesting in the hedge anyway.

I think for the birds that would use a box there’d be too much commotion around the feeders to go for it in my garden though.

 

[becs]

I put boxes up but they prefer to nest in my shrubs

 

[riffraff]

I put boxes up but they prefer to nest in my shrubs

All down to the size of your hole.

 

[becs]

All down to the size of your hole.

They're tit holes as I get a lot of them but they've still nested in the shrubbery.

 

[KeefBeer]

This is beginning to sound like a Carry On film script

 

[Swindon On Tour]

Has anyone ever bought one or made one and had birds nest inside? you must need a big garden and a few trees to get results.

Not at all.
I have made them and also bought them.
Put them up around the surrounding trees and all have been used this season.
In fact the last Blue Tit fledglings have left this weekend. The box I made the Great Tits use every year.

Tips:
North facing hole always preferable.
Don’t make hole too big.
Avoid easy access by Cats.
Don’t put up too high. 8-10 Ft around best height.
Either trees or a wall ok.
Clean out nests every winter to get rid of mites.

 

[Feed the Monster]

Aye - put one up on a east facing tree. 28 mm hole so had tree sparrows in it this year. They’ve fledged one brood and are onto number 2.

Just ordered a second with a 25mm hole for blue or marsh tits - will get that up for next year.

 

[Shack]

Put one up a couple of years back on a tree out the back. We had some great tits take up residency this year for first time. The box was attacked after a couple of weeks and they left. Lots of magpies round here but there's been at least one woodpecker around also. Pieces of the roof were missing and the hole had marks on it. Gutted as was lovely to see the tits going in and out. Might make a reinforced one for next year.

 

[Tuono]

I've been placing home made bird boxes in my garden for about 20 years now and get the usual tits etc. But about 5 years ago I got Tree Bumblebees nesting in one of the boxes. It only happened the one year and I've never seen any since. 'Record sightings' for invasive bee

 

[Deleted member 44322]

We have a homemade bird box which is now a bees nest

 

[K3NA]

Put one up a couple years ago on the side of the extension right outside the kitchen window. Has been used every year by a couple of great tits. Brilliant watching all the comings and goings as they build the nest right through to the chicks leaving.

 

[jayjaysafc]

Has anyone ever bought one or made one and had birds nest inside? you must need a big garden and a few trees to get results.

I’ve had 2 on trees in my garden for 10 years, not one nest in all that time, they are near the food and water, out of the sun

 

[Fetch Fletch]

Nobody else think this is a covert "I've got a big garden with lots of trees" thread?

 

[Wilfy]

Nobody else think this is a covert "I've got a big garden with lots of trees" thread?

Almost as bad as the house extension threads.