Nest Boxes

The approach of the nesting season (in the UK) reminds me of the time when a friend aked me to advise him on making his garden more attractive to birds.He lives near Epping Forest on the outskirts of London, and his garden has lawns, flower beds, shrubs, a number of mature native trees, and is bordered on one side by a woodland pool. So what's the problem?

More than anything he wanted to match his neighbour's success in attracting occupants for his nest-boxes! He complained that his neighbour had at least one brood a year in each of his four boxes, while he, (my friend) had not had even one in any of his six boxes.

It was not that he hadn't tried. He had a number of feeders scattered about the garden which were very popular with the local birds, but they showed no interest in nesting there.

I came to the conclusion that potential nesters were put off by the proximity of the feeders and the avian traffic they generated. Most garden birds are secretive about their nest sites and will not choose a spot that is under regular observation. Indeed, many will not even visit an existing nest containing eggs or chicks if they are aware of an observer.

The remedy was simple. We moved all the feeders to a spot close to the house and out of the direct line of sight of the nest boxes, then we put a handful of dried grass in each box.The following Spring the first tenants moved in!