Nest boxes

Putting my vote in the ballot box today reminded me about nest boxes.

Did you know that gardens make up over a million acres of the British countryside. That's an area 2/5 the size of Wales.

Therefore, gardens are a major habitat for wildlife, but there are several problems:

• Most gardens are bordered by fences.
• Garden shrubbery is either relatively new or not very dense.
• The build quality of houses is generally high compared to 100 years ago.

Generally, this means less nesting places for birds, bats and other wildlife. You can help though, by buying or making a nest box to put up in your garden.

The Bat Conservation Trust has loads of information about bats and offers a whole range of bat boxes for sale via its website. Most bat boxes follow the same design - a draught free box with a narrow entrance to the box at the bottom.

Bird boxes on the other hand come in all different shapes and sizes depending on the type of bird it is suitable for. Common types include "Blue Tit" nest boxes with a hole in the front about the size of a ten pence piece. "Robin" nest boxes have an open front. All kinds of birds nest in these popular designs, not just Blue Tits and Robins.

The most important factor when considering a nest box for your garden is the position, particularly the way it faces - between north and east is best as this avoids strong sunlight and wet winds.

The RSPB provides instructions on how to make both bat boxes and bird boxes.

If you want to help "other wildlife" there's also nest boxes available for hedgehogs from CJ Wild Bird Foods.

Ahh. Home sweet home!
caldini