Tomorrow sees the start of National Nest Box Week which runs until the 21st of February. For full details click here where you will also find details on how to make your own. I, with help, have already put up two new boxes this year and was unaware there was a promotional week to encourage it. I think this is a great idea and it is just in time for prospective tenants like the Blue Tits who are noting interest in ours!
Cameras in nest boxes give us a chance to watch the activity of nest building and a unique opportunity to see the chicks hatch and grow. We don’t have cameras but we are considering it – maybe next year. We had Blue Tits nest last year and I can assume chicks too. I never saw them go but five young were seen at our feeders in the summer – and food was seen going in our box! It would have been nice to see them actually use our box but we had no idea if any birds would choose to use it.
Searching the web looking at the different types of nest box cameras available we came across an interesting site that took still photos with movement in the nest box. When we first came across this site, last year, it was called ‘Peggy’s Webcam Bird Box’ and it was a diary format with photos. This site is now at http://www.camnest.co.uk/index.shtml . I have looked at the 2007 Blue Tit box tonight and it shows they have been busy alright– but not nest building! I would suggest maybe that you would like to see, for the moment, the chicks of last year on http://www.camnest.co.uk/diary_2006/bluetit/index.shtml .
If you are interested in the post that covers the nest boxes in my garden go to https://www.shirlsgardenwatch.co.uk/2007/01/new-nestbox-terrace.html