Nest Boxes .....

whyulittle wrote: »

I'll see if I can bury the Robin box a bit more. It's just where it is, the lower down I go, it will end up on the wall.

Sorry, mate. Vile 'connection' tonight. Struggling to stay on line for five minutes at a snatch :mad:

Robins? Walls? Listen; If mankind had been around for ever, building walls? Robin would be called a " Natural Wall Nester ".

As it is? They've just always nested in vegetation covered, natural crevices in rock piles and stuff ~ probably left by glacial action etc. Basic school stuff. Right?

But, the fact is; Robins were nesting in 'walls' long before man learned to make kettles and leave those in hedges

Get that box stuffed away, down low, buried away in some corner of that wall. I've known them nest at seven foot. Far more likely though at four foot. 'Secrecy' is the word with our mate, the Robin

siledee wrote: »

The ivy has sort of doubled over itself and is now only about 4ft at its highest point.

The sparrows still use it as a roost but I'm hoping they won't nest there (will they??)...way too low I think and cats around.

Siledee; This is just the sort of kick in the nuts sparrows could well do without 'Obviously', it's not Your garage, so ye can't do damn all about it.

I mean; One way would be to get a few 'up for it' mates round there. Fix that fascia and the ivy to it.

As it is, I expect the owner will either leave the lot to collapse into a heap. Or attack the ivy before restoring the wall. See how birds lose out, pretty much as soon as man starts 'Tidying Up'? :rolleyes:

Cats? I never mentioned how those things were strolling over for a mooch round beneath the council estate wall. Absolute stream of them.

Anyway; Your sparrows trying to nest that low? Read again what I originally wrote; Eight foot. Any that try to nest at four will simply be removed from the pool.

Know any north facing, twelve foot plus, ivy covered walls? Better still; control any such walls?

As it happens, I own a 'perfect' wall. I just need the ivy ~ Or Do I ? Ivy's never grown there because a hay barn roof always abutted to it. Now the barn's collapsed, I have a 'perfect', north facing, flat fronted, probably pushing twenty foot, wall!

I'm trying to catch up with so much work, around here. If only I knew a good 'fertiliser' for ivy. I'd plant ~ how does one Plant that stuff? ~ a load around my wall.

As it is? I need to work on the roof yet. That'll need a double extender ladder ~ again :rolleyes: Get another of those though, and I'm willing to drape that wall with boxes. Ivy or not. As said above; I've seen them hanging out of just rotten walls. Anywhere there's plenty of holes, really.

Come on you people; North facing wall? Eight foot and above? Get those boxes up!

Then, let's discover how best to encourage ivy ~ aside from having an Ash tree!

Here ye go: Following all this back and forth, especially with 'WUL', about how to get ye nest boxes to blend into the environment? I figured a picture paints a thousand words.

So, we've seen WUL's boxes during this thread. Now I thought I'd show ye one of mine, which I slung up today. I'm ongoingly involved in building and placing boxes. I'll be doing so all through summer and next winter, all things being equal.

No 'right' time to put them up, or stop putting them up. Just Put Them Up!

And, if they then look somewhat like this? Bonus:

Fiver says ye haven't got a clue!

Actually, I've just this minute ~ in anticipation of a bit of fun ~ taken the photo and circled the box. Maybe I should lodge that photo with someone, then they can hold it as certain evidence that I'm not up to any hanky panky.

For the record, by the way; This is one of my absolutely bog standard 'Tit Boxes'. Now, there's a major clue.

To be perfectly frank though? If I hadn't put the damn thing there myself? I'd never find it again. I even had a hell of a job being sure it was what I was looking at when I circled it.

I learned about camouflage from The Best! :cool:

Now, come on. Let's have some craic: " Spot The Box "

You must have eyes like a hawk!!!

Honestly; I put it there, barely an hour ago. And yet I was squinting and chewing my lip. I knew it was there. But I just needed convincing that subtle patch of solidity was it.

Oh well. Cost me a fiver!

Now, will ye Please join the BTO NRS? If ye can spot that? Few nests will be safe from you on a Cold Search!

I never thought of that!

Trebor; Just off out. I'll explain all later on. I'm actually talking to " BWI " about this 'as we speak'

Check this thread tomorrow.