Film | I Built Nest Boxes For Birds & Watched As They Moved In | Wildlife Conservation

Building bird boxes

For many birds the greatest challenge is a lack of places to nest, so I made it my mission to build as many suitable homes as possible. Each of my bird boxes is designed with a particular bird species in mind. Shape, height, entrance size, orientation - every detail matters. Discover how I approach each build to suit that bird I want to attract. 

A nest boxes for 'little owls'

The smallest owl species in the UK, these birds of prey are cavity nesters. They often choose natural holes in trees close to open farmland where they hunt and tend to choose places that are surprisingly low down - some will even use disused rabbit burrows. My little owl nest box is built to look as natural as possible. A nesting chamber sits behind a natural log. And this is accessed via a long tunnel, or corridor, which replicates the type of burrow a little owl would naturally use. At it's entrance I've designed a baffle - this is to deter jackdaws since they won't be able to carry the sticks they use to nest through the narrow opening. Little owls don't build nests, but instead lay their eggs on the floor of the cavity. A lining of sawdust gives this nest the finishing touch. 

Outdoor features

My design doesn't stop at interiors - I also work at the exterior landscaping to ensure this owl box is attractive to little owls, I position perches around the box so these owls have somewhere attractive to hunt from. Within four days of positioning my little owl box, a male arrives to inspect it. It's great to see how he's using the perches I placed for him. 

Barn owl box

A nest box I built for barn owls has stood the test of time. Made from an old elm stump, this box was made with barn owls in mind and is in constant use. Gylfie, a barn owl living in my garden, has raised 21 owlets with a number of partners from this site - it's been a joy watching these owlets grow up. 

Boxes for kingfishers & tawny owls

My kingfisher nest box has also provided homes for kingfisher broods over several years. Built into a shed, which I have camouflaged on the edge of a lake to look like a water bank, it sits next to a hide where I can film the secret lives of these kingfishers.  Meanwhile tawny owls also nest in tree cavities, choosing spots high in the canopy. To position a box for the tawny owls near me, I built a scaffold tower to reach the perfect spot. Tawny owls are woodland owls and again I use natural tree stumps so that the boxes sit within their natural habitat. It's important to position these nest boxes away from prevailing winds. Inside, the box is just the right size to allow its occupants space to sit in together. Click on the link to learn more about how to build the best box for a tawny owl . 

Boxes for barn swallows

Barn swallows are a delight to watch. They like to nest under house eaves or in porches and will return each year to rebuild their nests. These birds make their nests out of mud and in recent dry summers I have poured water into the ground to create muddy puddles so that they have a suitable supply of building material. Follow this link to read more about the barn swallows I watched on their nest.

Nest box maintenance

Bird boxes need constant maintenance. Over the years they can fill up with pellets which need clearing up and every few years I renovate rotten wood and often make little tweaks to the designs. Once a jackdaw managed to reach through a small gap in the entrance to a kestrel nest I made and toppled Apollo the kestrel from his perch! Moments like that send me back to the drawing board to make improvements to my designs. 

Wrens

Not all birds use boxes. Wrens, for instance, prefer softer spaces and I use the ready made pouches available from garden centres, putting them up in my porch for the wrens to nest in. Sometimes these pouches aren't quite big enough for the broods as they grow and one year a tiny wren fledged a little early and landed in my recycling box.

 Each bird species requires a different approach and putting a little time and effort into learning their separate needs makes all the difference.