HEADS UP! IT'S NATIONAL NESTBOX WEEK

Great tit nestling

Starting on St Valentine's Day,it's the time we remind ourselves to provide homes for dozens of species, from Blue Tits to Barn Owls.

NNBW takes place each year from 14-21 February, and after more than 15 years it is now an established part of the ornithological calendar

Which birds use nest boxes? : http://www.bto.org/about-birds/nnbw/nesting-birds

If you've never built a nest box before, why not give it a go this year? Or if you haven't got the time, it's easy to buy a good one. Go on, take part for Britain's birds!

Blue tit family

The BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) is asking you to put up a nest box in your local area to help increase the number of suitable nesting spaces for birds. Natural nest sites for birds such as holes in trees or old buildings are disappearing fast as gardens are 'tidied' and old houses are repaired.

Anyone can take part whether you're a family with space for a box in your garden, a teacher, a member of a local wildlife group, or you belong to a bird club. You can put up a nest box at any time of the year, though early spring is the best time. It is also a good time to clean out the nest boxes you already have, ready for their next incumbents.


Further information on making, buying and putting up a nest box is available at the BTO site:

NNBW aims to:

Encourage everyone to put up nest boxes in their local area in order to promote and enhance biodiversity and conservation of our breeding birds and wildlife.

The natural nest sites on which many of our bird species depend, such as holes in trees and buildings, are fast disappearing as gardens and woods are ‘tidied’ and old houses are repaired. Since National Nest Box Week was launched in 1997, thousands of enthusiastic naturalists across the UK have put up boxes to compensate for this loss. It is estimated that there are now 5-6 million boxes in gardens across the UK.

Further information on making, buying and putting up a nest box is available at the BTO :  http://www.bto.org/about-birds/nnbw

RSPB links: Create a high home for swifts: http://bit.ly/20PNWTU

        Create a sparrow street: http://bit.ly/1NtvrvS

                Create a cosy starling home: http://bit.ly/1T3ONZA