Site last updated:
30.7.2022

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Nest Box Summary 2016

Results for 2016

Total small bird boxes for use by Blue Tits, Great Tits Coal Tits and Nuthatch  = 44
Total no used          = 36
Failures i.e. no nest or very sparse nesting material     =  7
Of the 36 used boxes  had unhatched eggs or dead chicks and obviously something had happened to one or both parents to force the abandonment of the nest.

Results for 2015 for comparison

Total small bird boxes for use by Blue Tits, Great Tits Coal Tits and Nuthatch  = 44
Total no used           = 40
Failures i.e. no nest or very sparse nesting material     =  4
Of the 40 used boxes 5 had unhatched eggs or dead chicks and obviously something had happened to one or both parents to force the abandonment of the nest.

All the boxes have been emptied and cleaned and the birds will now use these boxes as safe winter roost sites -

Our balance of 5 boxes (2 tawny Owl, 1 kestrel and 2 woodpeckers) have been used or damaged by squirrels.  There is no evidence that any of the aforementioned birds have used the boxes.  We are still trying to stop squirrels gnawing their way into the woodpecker boxes and even the stainless steel plates have been damaged, however we will keep trying. We are certainly getting more and more woodpeckers in the woodland, but they like to nest holes in old dead and decaying trees and our Woodland is still too new

 Personally I have not seen a tree creeper in the Woodland, but recently we found a scattering of small brown and white feathers and a curved beak ½’’ long that identified it as a tree creeper that had been taken by a sparrow hawk..  Obviously it was not good that the bird had been predated but also very encouraging to know that they are there

We are purchasing 10 additional boxes primarily for use in the new Woodland as it develops, but also to fill some gaps in the existing Woodland

To conclude, the success of our nest boxes is down to the excellent habitat we have created and also to the team of volunteers that keep the bird feeders topped up.

Detailed Bird Box Usage 2016

Analysis of outcomes