National Nest Box Week -- Announcing the "Official Nest Box"

28th May 2007

Each year the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) runs National Nest Box Week from 14th to 21st February. St Valentine’s Day marks the start since this is the traditional date when birds pair up for the new breeding season. The aim is to urge everyone with nest boxes to clean them out and check that they are in tip-top condition for the coming breeding season. This is also the very best time to put up new boxes.

Nest Boxes are important for birds and other wildlife - including mammals like bats and hedgehogs and insects like bumble bees and hornets - because modern habitats are often very short of the holes and cavities they need to nest and roost safely. The best boxes for an ordinary garden are those for tits - they have a very good chance of being occupied. In many gardens, particularly those in modern developments, these nest boxes are the only places for these birds to nest safely.

Making Boxes

The design and materials of a nest box are important since it needs to be well insulated and of the correct dimensions for the birds to be successful. Unfortunately some boxes are not well made and many do not last long.

Making boxes is easy and an excellent family activity. Details of how to make standard tit boxes, and how and where to erect them, are available free-of-charge from: NNBW, Freepost 1155, CANTERBURY, Kent CT3 4BR. The same address can be used to order the "Official Nest Box" - see below - and to find out about others that are available for birds, bats and even insects! Nest box-making events will be taking place all over the country organised by county Wildlife Trusts, RSPB local groups and others and they should be contacted for details of local events.

The Official Nest Box

The BTO has adopted the special ‘woodcrete’ nest box of Jacobi Jayne & Company, the founding sponsors of National Nest Box Week, as the Official Nest Box for the Week. Made from a unique combination of sawdust, concrete and clay, it is very sturdy, has excellent insulating properties, is readily occupied and is now guaranteed for 25 years against damage in ordinary use! It is available from Jacobi Jayne.

About the BTO

The BTO is the UK's leading bird research organisation. It has over ten thousand members who are mainly skilled birdwatchers. They collect information that forms the basis of conservation action in the UK. The BTO maintains a staff of 75 at its HQ in Norfolk, who analyse and publicise the results of project work. The BTO's investigations are funded by government, industry and conservation organisations.

BTO, The Nunnery, THETFORD, Norfolk IP24 2PU. Tel: 01842-750050 Fax: 01842-750030. Patron HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. Registered Charity No. 216652. Registered in England & Wales No. 357284.