Providing a nesting box to attract Blue Tits

It's never too early to think about providing a nesting box, if you want to attract and watch the antics of nesting birds, and a good one to start with is for blue or coal tits. Throughout the winter you may find the odd bird uses the box for roosting, but interest in nesting will begin in earnest as early as February.

There are many professionally produced nesting boxes to be found in pet shops, garden centres etc. but you may like to have a go at making your own.

If at all possible try to use timber which is about 15mm thick, but since leachates may be harmful to birds, do not use CCA presssure-treated timber.  If plywood is all you have available this will suffice, but it may start to deteriorate quicker, with the plys separating.  As you are substituting nature, there is no requirement to be too precise with measurements, but a few guidelines are given as follows:

Try to avoid a south-facing wall on which to hang the nesting box, as strong sunlight may not be ideal for the parent birds or their young.

The size of the base should be approximately 15cm x 13cm ideally.  Any bigger than this and the bird will have to bring in much more material to build the nest.

Positioning of the entrance hole should be at least 13cm from the base of the box to avoid any chicks from falling out of the nest, and the hole should be about 25mm in diameter.

The roof of the box should overhang the rest of the construction to provide some weather protection and only a water based preservative suitable for bird boxes, should be used - on the outside of the box, but not in the vicinity of the entrance hole, if this is deemed necessary.

Either the base or the roof of the nesting box should be hinged to enable the removal of the old nest, once the nesting season is over.  Brass hinges or screws are less likely to rust.

It is important to remember that once nesting has commenced, no alteration should be made to the parent birds flight path.  Any such interference will almost certainly ensure that the nest is abandoned.  Clothes lines, fences, trees and suchlike on which birds land before entering the nesting box, should remain in situ.