The beginning of January is a good time to start thinking about the birds that may visit your garden. Many will be looking for a suitable nest site. Once spring arrives the birds have usually already paired up and the task of raising a family begins, by providing nest boxes you can make this task that little bit easier.

Many birds are finding it very difficult to find suitable hedgerows and trees to nest in, where I live the area has undergone massive regeneration and a lot of habitat has disappeared, one reason why we have to help out, it is not ideal but a nest box is better than nothing.

If you already have nesting boxes up then they need to be checked and cleaned before birds start arriving, late autumn or early January is a good time to do this. I shall assume that you have no nest boxes in place; the one pictured here is a typical nest box that you can buy already made from garden centres. This is the easiest way to get started, however it is more satisfying knowing you built a little house for your birds, then watching them as they grow up, fledge and fly off.

The plans below are for a typical nest box and can be adjusted to suit various types of birds, the only thing that needs to be change is the size of the entrance hole.

Typical Holes Sizes (rough estimations)

25 mm for Blue, Coal and Marsh Tits, Wren
28 mm for Great Tits, Tree Sparrows and Pied Flycatchers
32 mm for House Sparrows and Nuthatches
45 mm for Starlings

Some birds prefer an open fronted nest box, Robins and Wrens in particular, however they need to be well hidden. Spotted Flycatcher, Blackbirds and Song Thrushes will also use an open fronted nest box.

Try to get your nest boxes in position as early as possible, preferably at the beginning of January. Our blue tits started making exploratory visits in mid February. Each year on St. Valentine's Day - 14th February - the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) launches its National Nest Box Week, with the aim of encouraging people to put up nest boxes to help breeding birds and other wildlife.

The plan layout for a typical nest box is shown below. Many decorative bird boxes are totally unsuitable for parent birds and their families. Bird boxes designed as an integral part of a bird table are unlikely to be occupied. It would be like living above a fast food take-away! Choose a quiet and undisturbed part of your garden for the completed box.

Please check that any plywood you use for your bird boxes comes from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) sources. FSC certified tropical hardwood plywood ensures that the use of the material will not damage forests, harm wildlife or jeopardise the future of people whose lives depend on the forests. An easiliy available source would be B&Q as B&Q (UK) announced that from September 2009 it would only buy Forest Stewardship Council timber and that the FSC label would be on the timber product.

Nest Box Plans

This Bird boxe was made using 12mm exterior ply wood. The roof dimensions allow for an overhang at the sides and front to let water drain away and to keep the interior dry.

Make sure that the entrance hole is at least 12.5 cm from the floor of the box to keep the young chicks safe from predators. A hole diameter of 25 mm will allow blue tits, coal tits and marsh tits to enter the box. Use 28 mm for great tits and 32 mm for house sparrows, tree sparrows and nuthatches.

Hinged Roof easier for cleaning, optional hole in the back to hang it from screw or nail. Whatever method is best for you can be used.	Dowel peg for birds to land on, optional but makes it easier for birds to feed chicks when they get bigger.	Screw down the roof, can be removed when cleaning inside.