Nest Boxes .....

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

It's much too early to see any meaningful activity around nestboxes.

whyulittle

I'm afraid I'm no good for any advice Sables, I'm a complete novice.

I just got that shot when following a Robin up the garden, and then heard what I thought was a magpie further up. Looked up and saw the BT hanging onto the box.

I am lucky enough that I have different levels to the garden, so the feeders aren't visible from the nestbox.

sables2

That's fine WUL. Maybe it's a bit early yet as Srameen says.

mgwhelan

sables2 wrote: »

I am not getting any Blue tits around my boxes. How ever, i cannot be certain. I probably should have a camera installed to be absolute certain

have a close look at the entrance hole if you can see any damage then some one interested alright heres a picture of one of my boxes.



i know its obvious on mine but there might be some damage on yours

Another thing you can try is to put a small piece of thin twig into the entrance and if its later removed you have your answer

whyulittle

Sorry about the quality, but you get the idea!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g91ZJYYSyfY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g91ZJYYSyfY

E39MSport

I was worried I had scared the currnet owner of one of my boxes away today as I wired it up for the season. Was present only a matter of seconds and he flew over giving it loads.

Happy to report that he's (BT) currently fluffed up and sleeping inside.

I have a second box with a resident BT and 2 sparrow terraces that have evidence of roosting but by what I am unsure. The droppings seem to be different so hopefully there'll be some sparrow action this year.
I have an external camera that I can train on the terraces to see if I can spot something.

sables2

Hi mg,
That's the BEST bit of advice I've heard so far...fair play te ye! I like both possible solutions. The twig is very ingenious and sounds like a runner. I'm 'gonna try it tomorrow and see over the coming days. The entrance hole is new unfortunately and not treated or painted, so i may not see any scratch marks. I will have a good snoop though. THANKS!

JimG

E39MSport wrote: »

You need a web server in the camera itself (which it appears you don't have) or you need similar somewhere downstream of the camera.

There's a widely linked thread on here about the devices and software used to achieve this - but yes, you will need a computer of some sort.

Thanks for replies.
I can't find any link to that thread.

whyulittle

Your boxes are made from Marine Ply aren't they sables? So are mine, and even though I've seen a bird at the box a few times, you can't tell from looking around the entrance. It's tough stuff, so don't get too down if you can't see any evidence.

E39MSport

JimG wrote: »

Thanks for replies.
I can't find any link to that thread.

Hi there.

It's referenced in post 33 on this thread.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=70292726&postcount=33

You need to get your skates on

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Scrapes or gouges at the entrance is not any indication that the box will be or wass used. A box with teh correct sized hole will not be pecked at. Predators will try to attack boxes by widening the whole but they could just as easily try to access the box to get at spiders. Of my many boxes only 2 have even the slightest scrape at the entrance.

The best evidence is adult birds flitting in and out feeding young later in the tear.

I would appeal to people to stop examining boxes too closely at this time of year. Leave well enough alone. Dusturbing the nesst box location does nobody any good. Wait and see what the next few months bring. Be patient.

mgwhelan

Bryce Teeny Neighbor wrote: »

Scrapes or gouges at the entrance is not any indication that the box will be or wass used. A box with teh correct sized hole will not be pecked at. Predators will try to attack boxes by widening the whole but they could just as easily try to access the box to get at spiders. Of my many boxes only 2 have even the slightest scrape at the entrance.

The best evidence is adult birds flitting in and out feeding young later in the tear.

I would appeal to people to stop examining boxes too closely at this time of year. Leave well enough alone. Dusturbing the nesst box location does nobody any good. Wait and see what the next few months bring. Be patient.

to say a box with with the right size hole wont be pecked is wrong, the damage on the picture i showed i'v seen a blue tit do, hole size 28mm great tit size, if you have a quick look at the box it wont deter any posable users birds aren't as skittish as you may think.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I neither said that birds were skittish nor that pecking marks would deter them. I simply said that a box with no damage (as shown) will be used just as much as a damaged one. I can only speak from over 40 years experience of erecting and closely monitoring and recording nestboxes.:)

mgwhelan

if you have a quick look at the box it wont deter any posable users birds aren't as skittish as you may think./QUOTE]

that part wasn't to you personally, apologizes.

Half-cocked

2 robins building a nest in one of my camera boxes! Hopefully I can post a few pics when they lay.

sables2

Hi WUL. Really sorry for late reply. Yes, marine ply indeed. It's so hard to tell if there is activity around the boxes. i suppose if i see some poo droppings or twigs, etc - that might tell me more, but, nothing of the sorts..... I'm keeping the faith. PS: Will i remove one of the BT (Blue Tit) boxes away from another one not too far away...(4mtrs). It may be this reason too?

sables2

Thanks for video WUL. Wow, your a lucky dude...to have a Blue tit building it's nest in YOUR box - and you caught it on film:D

whyulittle

I don't know. From what I've read, having two boxes in the same garden isn't necessarily a problem - you may not have both of them nested in, but you're giving them more options.

But having two on the same tree, they are probably too similar.

artieanna

Well since putting up four nestboxes, three have been looked at and one has a nest under construction.

do tits nest in pairs as two were looking at one nestbox last week?

Will try to get pics but its tricky to catch them.....

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Most birds nest in pairs.:)

Maybe I'm misreading your question.

mgwhelan

if your talking about blue tits and great tits sharing the same box , there are some occasions where it will happen but its rare

trebor28

i think i have about 6 pairs of woodpigeon nesting within a stones throw of my house!
will try and get some pics of some of them and their nests!

trebor28

So this is a photo of a bird that tried to nest in a wall of mine just under 2 years ago.
as you can see it incorporated the top of a broken Grolsch bottle into its foundations.

i never could get close enough to it to find out exactly what it was.

it was about the size of a robin and pretty much looked the very same as it except for the red breast.
it was a very clean sleek bird with no "ruffled" feathers if you know what i mean.
i has never seen a blackcap before and thought it was one but couldnt see a 'black cap'

it didnt stay too long though as that wall was along a major thoroughfare which i would walk past several times a day.

any ideas?

whyulittle

Sorry for the re-post, just saw LB's instructions in the video thread on how to embed videos properly!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g91ZJYYSyfY

whyulittle

I saw my first bit of investigating, ever so briefly, at my second BT box today.

Half-cocked

After 2 days of furious nest construction, our 2 robins have stopped. 2 days with no activity. Both birds are still poking around the garden. Could the weather have halted nest building? Do robins start building several nests before selecting one to lay in? Anyone know about their nest building habits?

mgwhelan

barn owl / kestrel box



treecreeper box



four apartment house sparrow box



kestrel box



robin / pied wagtail box



swallow cup



tit box 1 of 12



barn owl / kestrel box







dipper box



robin box



spotted flycatcher box



swift box



housemartin cup

Traonach

Respect mgwhelan, respect. No one can say you don't help our avian friends.

whyulittle

:eek::eek:

Excellent stuff.

How well do your barn owl / kestrel boxes do?

mgwhelan wrote: »

barn owl / kestrel box

treecreeper box

four apartment house sparrow box

kestrel box

robin / pied wagtail box

swallow cup

tit box 1 of 12

barn owl / kestrel box

dipper box

robin box

spotted flycatcher box

swift box

housemartin cup

mgwhelan

whyulittle wrote: »

:eek::eek:

Excellent stuff.

How well do your barn owl / kestrel boxes do?

none been used yet put the green one in the tree up early last year, the one in the shed was put up late last year and the kestrel box a month ago. they say it might take a few years for a box to be used.