Going into the Housing Market

One of the first things I did was buy a nest-box. It is a good idea to put a nest-box up in Autumn as birds scout out potential property for the nesting season at this time of year. Also, some birds will use the box to roost in over winter.

I put our nest-box on the fence under next-door's tree as this is a place the birds seem to like. The creepers from next door also hang near to the box and will hopefully grow to give some protection.

Our box is on a south facing fence but this may not be ideal as it can get very hot in the full sun. I have read that for some birds an east facing box is better, with cover from full sunlight but also with a clear fly-up so predators can't spring an ambush on birds as they come and go. Each bird has different requirements though and I recommend visiting the RSPB website to find out more if you wish to attract nesting birds to your garden. Just follow the link on the blog.

Although our nest-box conditions are not ideal, we soon had a visitor! It was a bright bossy blue-tit! There are two blue tits and they defend the area around the box very fiercely. Time will tell if they have chicks or not!