National Nest Box Week – 14-21 February

National Birdbox Week this week!

Despite the kind of cold that makes you want to stay indoors with a warm drink, Phil has been out on the allotment armed with timber, tools and paint as well as a level of determination to build some birds for our local bird population.

He’s been busy building bird boxes ready to install around the site, making the most of National Birdbox Week to give our feathered residents somewhere a little more comfortable to nest this spring.

While we’re lucky to see plenty of birdlife across the allotment, we haven’t yet carried out any formal bird surveys to properly identify who’s actually living here. We think we know. But we would love to do a formal survey eventually.

Installing these bird boxes gives us a brilliant opportunity to:

• Encourage more nesting activity

• Support local bird populations

• Observe which species are using the site

• Begin gathering proper information about our bird visitors

  
  

We’re fortunate to have several mature oak trees on the allotment, along with sheltered spots and natural hedging. These areas provide ideal locations for installing the new boxes.

Placement will be considered carefully, with boxes positioned at suitable heights and facing away from prevailing winds where possible.

We’ll begin monitoring them to see what they attract tenants, this is where we can do with you keeping a look out.

With a bit of patience, we may soon discover whether we’re hosting blue tits, great tits, sparrows, or other woodland and garden species.