'Putting nest boxes up in your garden may increase the number of birds that are able to breed there, with obvious local benefits. By monitoring the contents however, you can extend the reach of your actions far beyond your own backyard - data on the numbers of eggs and chicks produced each year help us to understand how birds across the UK are coping with a rapidly changing climate and radical changes to habitat, including the impacts of urbanisation.' - Dave Leech, BTO
Why putting up a nest box is one of the best things you can do for bird research
Image: BTO
Valentine’s Day will see the start of National Nest Box Week, the time of year when birds traditionally begin to pair up for the forthcoming breeding season. Since 1997 the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has been encouraging people to put up nest boxes and help provide nesting opportunities for a variety of garden birds, including, Starlings, House Sparrows and Blue Tits. This year's event will see some fun technology thrown into the mix... however, your participation doesn’t have to stop once the box is up.
The reasoning behind erecting a nest box may seem obvious, but there’s a lot more to it than just providing warmth and security for a single pair of birds, as the BTO’s Dave Leech explains. “Putting nest boxes up in your garden may increase the number of birds that are able to breed there, with obvious local benefits. By monitoring the contents, however, you can extend the reach of your actions far beyond your own backyard - data on the numbers of eggs and chicks produced each year help us to understand how birds across the UK are coping with a rapidly changing climate and radical changes to habitat, including the impacts of urbanisation. Volunteer nest recorders help us to predict who the winners and losers will be and, even more importantly, why; understanding the mechanisms underlying population declines is the vital first step towards addressing the problem.”
Monitoring nests for the BTO has never been easier, as Nest Box Challenge Organiser Hazel Evans explains. “Nest Box Challenge is an online system aimed at volunteers new to recording who are monitoring small numbers of nests in gardens. Any nest of any species can be monitored, including those nesting outside boxes, such as Blackbirds and Collared Doves, as long as you can look inside to count the eggs and chicks. The welfare of the birds must come first so it is vital to follow the Code of Conduct on the BTO website at all times.”
For more information on the different type of nest boxes, visit www.bto.org/about-birds/national-nest-box-week
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The reasoning behind erecting a nest box may seem obvious, but there’s a lot more to it than just providing warmth and security for a single pair of birds, as the BTO’s Dave Leech explains. “Putting nest boxes up in your garden may increase the number of birds that are able to breed there, with obvious local benefits. By monitoring the contents, however, you can extend the reach of your actions far beyond your own backyard - data on the numbers of eggs and chicks produced each year help us to understand how birds across the UK are coping with a rapidly changing climate and radical changes to habitat, including the impacts of urbanisation. Volunteer nest recorders help us to predict who the winners and losers will be and, even more importantly, why; understanding the mechanisms underlying population declines is the vital first step towards addressing the problem.”
Monitoring nests for the BTO has never been easier, as Nest Box Challenge Organiser Hazel Evans explains. “Nest Box Challenge is an online system aimed at volunteers new to recording who are monitoring small numbers of nests in gardens. Any nest of any species can be monitored, including those nesting outside boxes, such as Blackbirds and Collared Doves, as long as you can look inside to count the eggs and chicks. The welfare of the birds must come first so it is vital to follow the Code of Conduct on the BTO website at all times.”
For more information on the different type of nest boxes, visit www.bto.org/about-birds/national-nest-box-week
SIMILAR ARTICLES TO READ
- Video series highlights - boom time for wetland birding as highest ever Shoveler numbers are recorded at WWT Slimbridge
- Rare Rufous Owl sightings in Australia's Northern Territory delights birders with their return
- Where are all the thrushes?
- Rare hand-reared Spoon-billed Sandpiper spotted after flying quarter-way round the world
- Swarovski Optik launches new range of compact CL pocket binoculars