Bird boxes

[Chris Hammond]

I’ve been making a few from odds and sods from our skips at work. I had this plan to give them away in the hope that people will put them up in their gardens. So this afternoon I put the first batch out. They had gone within two hours!

Nothing like a freebie to get people’s attention.

[andrew_nagel]

Great initiative Chris. Many rural kids make them and sell them from a table in the villages over here.

[davelumb]

Nice one.

And just in time. Sparrows have been going in mine for a look today.

[Steve Dennington]

Nice work, Chris

I have unwittingly provided a rather large bird box in the form of a 12ftx8ft shed

The door at the bottom is not a snug fit and I noticed a wren scooting in and out, so I thought I'd better dissuade her from building a nest in there because I'll be needing to use it soon for lure making etc.

I wandered into the shed and had a good look round and couldn't see any sign of a nest, then turned round to go out and looked above the door...

The nest is far too advanced to lock her out from, so it looks like I'm evicted from my own bloody shed for a while I'll try to get some footage of the brood in due course. She nested under my workbench outside the shed last year and I only got one pic as she darted back and forth with mouthfuls of horseflies for the little 'uns.

[andrew_nagel]

Steve... it's the male wren that builds the nests. There's no need to worry if you lock him out. They build several then show a female around them and she chooses which she lays her eggs in. If wrens are plentiful around the area, he'll then find another female and show her around the remaining nests... and so on. Busy little chappy is the male wren!

[Will Smith]

You learn something new every day Andrew, very interesting factoid .

Will.

[Carlperkins]

Andrew’s very good at finding dog mess too

[Chico 48 PAC]

It is always good to provide nesting places. I have moved away from wooden ones as they never seem to last long, I use woodcrete ones now, very nice boxes that last a very long time and are easily cleaned out after each yearly use.

Last year I had a wren nest in my ivy on the garage wall, I was very disappointed that it seemed to be abandoned after build, I didn't realise that the male made several and the female chose one of them.

[ChrisR2010]

I put one up back in January so looking forward to seeing if any birds use it. Not yet seen anything to suggest it's going to get used but fingers crossed.

[andrew_nagel]

Andrew’s very good at finding dog mess too

Just helping Dalton Angling Club to find what they'd obviously lost!

[andrew_nagel]

Last year I had a wren nest in my ivy on the garage wall, I was very disappointed that it seemed to be abandoned after build, I didn't realise that the male made several and the female chose one of them.

We had a blackbird nest in the honeysuckle that grows up our carport. The magpies had the chicks as soon as they hatched. Then I saw that the old nest seemed to be getting bigger??? A wren built its nest below using the blackbird's as the roof! They fledged their young. Half a dozen tiny fluff balls knocking around the garden for a day or two driving next door's cats mental.

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

I’ve been making a few from odds and sods from our skips at work. I had this plan to give them away in the hope that people will put them up in their gardens. So this afternoon I put the first batch out. They had gone within two hours!

Nothing like a freebie to get people’s attention.

What a great thing to do, good on ya! and I bet all you used was a petrol cutter!

Cheers, Alan

[Carlperkins]

Andrew’s very good at finding dog mess too

Just helping Dalton Angling Club to find what they'd obviously lost!

[Alan_dalton]

Andrew’s very good at finding dog mess too

Just helping Dalton Angling Club to find what they'd obviously lost!

Was never proved it was molly!

[andrew_nagel]

Andrew’s very good at finding dog mess too

Just helping Dalton Angling Club to find what they'd obviously lost!

Was never proved it was molly!

Although I do remember the DAC chairman being overly apologetic for an innocent party. I expect if it hadn't ended up in the tread of my trainer it would have ended up in Carl's morning coffee?

[Steve Dennington]

Steve... it's the male wren that builds the nests. There's no need to worry if you lock him out. They build several then show a female around them and she chooses which she lays her eggs in. If wrens are plentiful around the area, he'll then find another female and show her around the remaining nests... and so on. Busy little chappy is the male wren!

Well, I never knew that! I'll be mightily offended now if my shed is not considered a "des res".

[Happy Hayes]

Nice gesture
Regards
Tom

[Alan_dalton]

Andrew’s very good at finding dog mess too

Just helping Dalton Angling Club to find what they'd obviously lost!

Was never proved it was molly!

Although I do remember the DAC chairman being overly apologetic for an innocent party. I expect if it hadn't ended up in the tread of my trainer it would have ended up in Carl's morning coffee?

[Carlperkins]

[zodiac]

Nice touch Chris. I used to make a couple of dozen every year as an activity with my daughter's Scouts group, then they would sell them on for funds for funds for summer camps. I haven't done it since Covid struck, but I do have coal t*ts nesting every year in my home made ones in the garden.