Bird Box

Bird Box

Encourage wildlife into your school garden and observe birds in action with this nesting box.

• Designed to attract small species such as blue, coal and marsh tits, it features a shingle roof, silvered hole protector and lapboard sides.

• The nest box should be placed on a wall, tree or garden fitting at least 1.5 to 2.5m above the ground. It should be left empty as birds will bring their own materials into the box to nest with.

• Nesting is most likely during April and May and there will be feeding activity by the parent birds in the event of hatching chicks. During this period, take care not to disturb the box, as any intervention may result in eggs or young being abandoned.

• The box can be opened from the bottom for easy cleaning outside of breeding season. A bird box nester will provide pupils with the opportunity to develop their observational skills. Activity ideas could include observing and documenting the species of birds that visit, the times of day that they are most active and how that varies depending on season and weather conditions. If a bird hatches chicks, children can observe their feeding activity and discussions on their life cycle can be explored.