British Trust for Ornithology
Contributed by Mike Schickner
NEST BOX SURVEY.
"What's in your nest. box?" That's what the BTO challenged people to tell them for last Spring's Nest Box Challenge, run in partnership with BBC Breathing Places and as part of National Nest Box Week. Participants were encouraged to, register any nest boxes they had in their gardens, with a view to assessing just how important these might be for binds. The process involved answering a few simple questions about the garden - size, number of trees etc, and the nest box type, height from the ground and the direction in which the entrance hole was facing.
Very pleasingly, over six thousand people registered 12,272 nest boxes for the challenge, from Cornwall to Shetland, and submitted their observations via the BTO website. Over the course of the breeding season 32 different species were reported as showing activity at nest boxes. These included three types of owl (Barn, Tawny and Little), two ducks (Mallard and Mandarin), both flycatchers, and six different kinds of tits (Blue, Great, Coal, Marsh, Willow and Crested). Blue Tits occupied 3,749 boxes, more than any other species, followed by Great Tit (1,116) and House Sparrow (359). Unusual occupants reported included Green Woodpecker (1) and Crested Tit (1).
The cool, wet and windy weather of May, June and July took its toll, and in some parts of the country birds found it very difficult to find enough food to feed their young. In particular, Blue Tits were affected quite badly, with lots of reports of young birds dying in the nest. Great Tits fared a little better as some birds opted for a second brood,and were able to take advantage of the improving weather later in the season.
The Nest Box Challenge was a huge success and provided the BTO with the opportunity to look into 12,272 nest boxes across the country, something that has never been done before. So, are nest boxes important? Scientists at the BTO are still analysing the data collected and will report on their full findings when this is completed. Watch this space! Finally, on behalf of the BTO and BBC Breathing Places, I would like to thank all those people who took part in the Nest Box Challenge. It is hoped to run the survey again in 2008 to see what happens in a 'real' summer.