Today marks the start of National Nest Box week, which runs from 14th – 21st of February, and is a reminder of the things we should be doing for our feathered friends!
Why are nestboxes so important?
Many natural features used by nesting birds are in short supply, tidy gardens and parklands undergo routine pruning to remove unhealthy limbs and other timber from trees, which would provide ideal nesting sites. For example, a hollow section of a tree would provide a good sheltered nesting place for species including kestrels, tawny owls, or great spotted woodpeckers, but such features may be classed as a human health and safety hazard and so are removed to make parklands safe for use. Birds such as house sparrows regularly use gaps in buildings, and can nest in roof spaces, box soffits, and other features on buildings. However as standards of home maintenance have improved and homes are becoming more energy efficient then fewer gaps are found on buildings, in turn providing fewer nesting opportunities.
What can you do?
If you have space in your garden, putting up a nest box could bring a huge benefit to local birds. You could even target specific species of birds that frequent your garden, as different species have varying requirements. Nestboxweek.com has a useful web page to identify the type of box birds prefer.
You can put your nestbox up at any time of the year, as birds will be looking for a nesting place in spring and summer, and protection from the elements in autumn and winter. There are a couple of things to consider when finding the perfect location:
- Space – make sure it isn’t too close to any other nest boxes, as it could encourage aggressive behavior between neighboring roosts. Keep the box a fair distance away from bird feeders, as high levels of activity could disturb the nests.
- Weather – make sure the box is sheltered from prevailing wind and the entrance angled down to prevent rain from entering.
- Be aware of predators – placing deterrents, such as metal plates on the entrances, can deter predators such as cats and squirrels.
- Accessible – make sure the opening is clear of dense vegetation.
- Height – most bird boxes should be placed several meters off the ground; however, Robins like to nest a little lower so their boxes should be placed below a height of 2m.
- Position – nestboxes must be north facing and out of direct sunlight to ensure the nest doesn’t overheat
If you already have nestboxes in your garden, now is the perfect time to check them and make any repairs/replacements ahead of the breeding season (springtime). If your nestbox hasn’t been used in a couple of years, it might be worth considering a new location following the above advice.
What are Meadfleet doing?
- Along with donating a number of roosting pouches, nestboxes, and bird feeders to our residents, our Regional Managers are always identifying appropriate locations on our developments where we can install new boxes to support nesting birds on our developments.
- As part of our bee-friendly campaign, we have planted 800m of new hedgerows. When established, they will provide a food source for birds and further habitat for hedge-nesting birds.
- Where tree works are necessary, we do our best to reuse the wood as habitat piles. On a number of developments, where safe to do so, we leave the main trunk standing which attracts insects creating a food source for visiting birds such as woodpecker, treecreeper and nuthatch. Songbirds will also use this as a ‘song post’ where males will sit to sing.
About Meadfleet
Meadfleet is a multi-award-winning, carbon neutral management company founded over 25 years ago. Responsible for over 350 developments throughout England and Wales, we take a sustainable approach to open space management. Our Ecology and Conservation team ensure areas are managed to encourage biodiversity and we are partnered with leading insect charity Buglife, to help make the open spaces we care for more pollinator friendly. In 2021 we were awarded first place in the Pollinator category at CIRIA’s BIG Biodiversity Challenge Awards for their Bee Friendly campaign.
Appointed by housebuilders and local authorities and with a portfolio of more than 350 developments, all with a variety of requirements that include full infrastructure, complex sustainable urban drainage systems, biodiverse species habitat, street lighting, grass care, shrubbery, woodlands, wildflower meadows and play equipment, Meadfleet are the professional and sustainable solution to open space management.
Established in 1995, we are specialists in residential open space management and our aim is to protect and enhance these areas long into the future. We are committed to providing an excellent service and continually improving our environmental credentials, demonstrated by certification in BS EN ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management and BS EN ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management.
We are delighted to be a Carbon Neutral Company, the first in our sector to achieve this. As one of the most experienced and trusted open space management companies in the UK, we take our role seriously. We believe taking climate action is important for companies like Meadfleet and the housebuilders and local authorities we work with.
We’ve signed up to the United Nations (UN) Climate Neutral Now initiative, launched in 2015 to increase climate action. We have pledged to measure, reduce and offset our carbon emissions with carbon credits every year. What’s more, we’ve also chosen to obtain carbon offsetting credits, equivalent to more than our estimated total emissions since Meadfleet first began in 1995.
Meadfleet employ experienced regional managers to proactively manage open spaces and respond to customer queries. As voluntary members of The Property Ombudsman Scheme, we offer our customers access to free, independent redress should this be required.
At Meadfleet we’re passionate about keeping open spaces safe and attractive and also believe it’s important to manage and enhance areas for the benefit of wildlife. We run regular customer initiatives such as giveaways of wildlife friendly seeds, bee hotels and bird nesting boxes. Our Bee Friendly campaign was awarded top prize in the pollinator category at CIRIA’s Big Biodiversity Challenge awards.
Meadfleet’s in-house Ecology and Conservation Team is at the centre of our business culture, leading our approach to open space maintenance. With experience in creating and managing a wide variety of habitats we ensure areas are maintained sensitively and appropriately and oversee continual biodiversity improvements. We understand the additional requirements of Biodiversity Net Gain, both in relation to planning and the 30-year covenant. Meadfleet are uniquely placed in the market to provide the management and maintenance skills required to ensure delivery of the ongoing requirements of biodiversity net gain on residential schemes in perpetuity.
We know that a good quality, natural environment will enhance a local neighbourhood, improve well-being and contribute to improved house values.