birdhouses advice needed please

Hi, I've just moved in to my first home and i want to put up some birdhouse but need some guided advice if anyone is willing to help me, what I need to know is:

1.What type off birdhouse do I need? I see loads of different ones, all with different size holes and shapes (I live in a village in nottinghamshire, its a built up area with lots of houses together

2. what direction do the need to face and how high from the ground do they need to be, also how close to each other can they be, if there too close can they stop birds using them? I have a south facing rear garden

3. Where is the best place to buy them

Regards Keith

 

Different birds need different types of boxes. The tit family boxes are probably the ones that have the smallest holes, this is to keep the bigger birds out.

If birds visit your garden, then find out what they are and make your decision on the type of box. Once again the tit family are most likely.

I wouldn't have them any closer than five feet apart. If you are attaching the boxes to your house, they need to be far enough off the ground so that cats can't get to them, but on the other hand if cats have access to any rooves (for instance a flat roof) then you will have to attach them further down, or away from that area.

Most birds don't like south facing as it gets to hot in the nest during spring and summer. However, if you intend to have more than one try facing them in different directions and see which ones they make more use of.

Don't by a bird table with a nest box area attached to it, the birds generally won't breed there because of disturbance.

Most garden centres sell bird nesting boxes.

I hope this has been of some use to you Keith.

 

Here are a couple of links which you may find helpful:

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/ec/ec1556.pdf

Factsheet: Building bird nest boxes

 

Good book by Tony Soper.

May I recommend "Discovering Birds" A practical Guide to Birdcraft, by Tony Soper ? It is an excellent B.B.C. book. All the information you could possibly need and plans to make every type of nestbox imaginable. Sadly 'es gorn and I have no I.S.B.N. for this book. Cheers, Tony.

 

Hi Keith,

I found the information on the rspb web site good. I have attached a link to the nest box section.

The RSPB: Advice