PROBLEMS IN THE HOUSING MARKET

Whether the predicted slump in the housing market will be good news for birds seeking nestboxes for homes we will just have to wait and see, but about now is the time they will be looking. So get out those hammers, find a few screws, nails and some suitable wood, contact Laura our Wildcall Officer at the Trust (01273 494777) or look at our website www.sussexwt.org.uk /gardening to find instructions to make a box and construct a des res for the birds in your garden. 

At Woods Mill we have a number of nestboxes around the reserve and we are also lucky enough to have two maintenance men to look after and check them. Every year John and Peter, two of our long standing volunteers, survey the boxes in spring to see what has been using them and then at the end of the season clear them out and repair those that need it. For six years these two gallant gentlemen have observed and looked after the birds and provided records on their usage.

In 2007, there were 32 small nestboxes available for residency, most of them were of the tit box design and 90% of those were occupied, but not all of them by birds though! Some contained wood mice, and it can be quite un-nerving when you open up the top of a nestbox and a mouse jumps out at you, something which I have personally experienced when, many years ago, I was about fifteen foot up a ladder when one popped out and landed on my shoulder. Nuthatches will also use nestboxes and you can always tell when they are in residence because they will line the entrance of the box with mud.

We have put out three treecreeper boxes which have very slim side entrances, replicating their favoured nesting site of a thin fissure behind bark, but two of them were hijacked by great tits, so we've yet been able to persuade treecreepers to take up residence. The open-fronted robin type boxes have not encouraged the intended targets in, though there is certainly no shortage of robins at Woods Mill.

There are also larger nestboxes around as well and we were very fortunate last year to have both kestrels, raising four chicks, and barn owls who reared five, using purpose built boxes. In the past, jackdaws, stock doves and occasionally a pair of tawny owl boxes have all made use of these boxes, as have, rather annoyingly, the grey squirrels. A few years ago a swarm of hornets decided that one of these bigger nestboxes would make it an ideal place to construct their beautiful nests, but obviously rendered that one out of bounds for birds for that season.

As well as providing the boxes you also need to make them as safe as possible as there are always neighbouring birds and animals trying to get into your house. Greater spotted woodpeckers are one of the biggest culprits as they will drill out around the hole and extricate the young chicks for their dinner. The squirrels at Woods Mill have learned to undo the fasteners open the top of the box and take out the youngsters that way, while many years ago I spent a fascinating half hour or so watching a weasel that had slipped into the entrance hole of a tit box, eaten the contents and then was obviously too fat to get out, so literally had to nibble away at the hole until it was large enough for him to squeeze out!  

Birds need a helping hand to find suitable nesting sites, so it's a great thing to do to put one up in your garden, and it can provide you with so much pleasure as well.

    Mike Russell, Sussex Wildlife Trust,