The BEST WILDLIFE BOXES For YOUR GARDEN & Where To Put Them For BEST Results
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- čas přidán 29. 03. 2024
- In this video we look at the best boxes you can put in your garden to help wildlife and provide a much needed home.
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Joel Ashton
#BirdBoxes #Birds #GardeningForWildlife #Wildlife #BirdBox #HowToMakeABirdBox #WildlifeGardening #WildlifeGarden #RobinBox #BlueTitBox #HouseMartinBox #BatBox #BarnOwlBox #TawnyOwlBox #KestrelBox #Kestrel #TawnyOwl #BarnOwl #BlueTit #Robin #HouseSparrowBox #HouseSparrow #StarlingBox #RoostBox #Starling #Wren #WrenBox #BritishBirds #JoelAshton #WildYourGarden #Wild #Nature #GardenWildlife - Jak na to + styl
Love your channel Joel, always cheers me up & makes me feel positive about the world which is a rarity these days with so much negativity out there.
I don’t mind admitting your channels changed my life in the sense that I’m now extremely passionate about making my garden as wildlife friendly as possible & trying to spread that same thought process to as many people as possible, your knowledge has helped that process ten fold.
Im currently lucky enough to have wrens, robins, blackbirds, bluetits, sparrows & dunnocks nesting in my garden & regularly get visits from goldfinches, pied wagtails & starlings, all of which I also feed…… hopefully more to come as my garden gets more suitable year on year.
I have at least one hog that visits every night for food & will be getting a hog house this year.
I have a koi pond that I’ve now removed most the fish from & is home to newts, frogs, damsel & dragonfly larvae amongst others.
All the flowers & shrubs I plant are pollinator friendly & the garden is absolutely buzzing through the summer.
I’m telling you all this as it’s largely thanks to you & your infectious passion for nature, you should feel proud of what you do & im sure there are thousands of people who feel the same as me…. Myself & the wildlife in my small area of south Leicester appreciate everything you do 🙌🙌🙌
Hey there! Firstly, if it's possible to print off your message so I can keep it on me, I may well do this so I can refer to it at the end of a tough day. I really am so very grateful that you have taken time out to write this, it's incredibly uplifting and, 3 years since my first rather amateur videos, has helped make all the effort worthwhile. This is exactly what I wanted to achieve, even in converting just a handful of people and hoping that the message spread. The channel is growing slowly but surely and that suits me fine as I know the people that follow me here really are genuinely interested in helping nature in their own greenspaces and it pleases me no end that so many more habitats are being created every day, and around the world too.
Your garden sounds absolutely wonderful - I may not be too far from Leicester this year so if you would like me to pop by and see this haven it would be an absolute pleasure. I'd really like to start doing some videos on subscribers gardens - you don't have to appear on screen if you're not comfortable of course. But if this is something you'd be happy to do please drop me an email at enquiries@hazelwoodlandscapes.com and we can keep in touch about meeting up. Very best wishes, and thank you sincerely - Joel
Thank you for sticking up for Starlings. I've been feeding a large social bunch of around 20-40 starlings every morning for months now (mealworms soaked overnight, but also have a range of things on the bird table) and some of them are starting to get very brave and curious around me. I was photographing a mushroom in the mulch the other morning, and they were sitting on the fence above me yapping away, they often land near by like that, but then I look up and say hello and they fly off like "NOPE!" not ready for that yet haha. We are predators with eyes in the front of our heads; that alone is an atavistic reflex.
They do whistle for me when I'm indoors though, and I've even been blessed with a mini murmuration over the garden in the evening sunlight. They flew so low one time I could feel the breeze and hear their feathers beating. I genuinely had a tear in my eye. The first time they did it I thought they were teaching the whole family where to come for food, because the jackdaws did a once-off fly by like that, acrobatics in a flock right above the garden, but the starlings have done it multiple times.
One of them does the most uncanny impersonation of a Buzzard too, and one sounds like a full on robot from the 1980's. I just adore them. I'm seeing such a beautiful side to them, and I genuinely feel like they are beginning to let me get to know them as individuals. They are incredibly intelligent, well up there with the corvids, but from the interactions I've had with the bluetits, blackbirds and robins, I'm inclined to believe we underestimate most life forms that don't look human, and I'm not afraid to say it!
I might also add that I've learned so much from your videos, and my garden is basically planted up to be a native woodland, with a medium sized pond, and a patch perfect for grasshoppers. Trees are now hitting 8ft, so I know the starlings will have a safe canopy here in a matter of years. I planted at least one or two of everything you mentioned in your videos as being "good for wildlife".... My garden is going to be a jungle let alone a woodland haha! Thank you! : )
Hey there! So so good to read this after a pretty hard day :) Wonderfully descriptive and I absolutely relate to the Starlings and their personalities. We have a few regular visitors to the garden, a couple of years ago we suspected that our neighbours had invested in chickens.... after a little research we worked out that there were no chickens but one particular Starling chap doing a 100% perfect impression of several chickens! A week later we were walking the dogs and went past the local allotment, in an adjacent house that backed on to it there was a large chicken run, and the starlings were sitting on top, getting through the chicken wire and stealing the food. So we're certain that's where our chap learned this from :) Forgive me if you've seen it already but I think you'll enjoy the interview I did with Iolo Williams recently, it's on the channel now but I think you'd have made a great part of this conversation! Thank you again, I really do appreciate it and well done on the garden, your encouragement and support means a lot. Very best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton That's hilarious about the chicken impersonations! They are quite the creative little comics aren't they, and opportunists! I can't list how many times they've made me smile.
I am a subscriber but only just turned notifications on today so missed that interview but I will check it out in a minute!
Just quickly as well, I have put up a squirrel feeder box to try and keep them away from the bird table, but they haven't used it yet, even though it's technically in a less risk location. They've been chewing the bark off the hardwood logs I think? I was going to put up an antler chew to entice them to the feeding box. I don't mind what they do to the garden either way, I'm making an ecosystem for all things wild and free predominantly, I just get to benefit massively. It does make me laugh to see all sorts of holes dug about the place each morning. I must get a camera out there to see what on earth goes on! I also found a hedgehog poop under the hedgehog highway!!! Which means I have to be careful about bird seed falling on the floor, is that right?
They hang out on our property through the year... The murmurations are wonderful, and they have enough void to do their thing. They love the suet feeders!
@@RealBradMiller I bet they do love your suet feeders indeed! They certainly help the bluetits hollow out a suet log in no time at all here! thank you for giving them a safe place to hang out, they'll remember you for it. x
@@RealBradMillerthey do for sure! Mine got through 8 fat balls and a large suet cake by lunchtime. We have a family of about 40-50. Along with huge rooks and blue tits etc it’s becoming an expensive hobby feeding them.
You should have a gardening wildlife show on tv you are a brilliant presenter and so good looking . A tv network should sign you . For sure😊
😊Thank you, that's very kind. I have been on tv a couple of times but, to be honest, I do prefer to speak freely rather than have a dictated script, although sometimes I wish I had the time to prepare some kind of script, but I hope I'm getting better. Also, tv can be a lot of work for little reward but I'm still grateful for your kind words and encouragement. Thank you, sincerely - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton no worries as I typed it I did think well you have greater freedom on your own channel. I think I just wanted you let you know your that good you could easily pull off a top presenting job . So be proud of yourself Joel considering you do this off the cuff you are first class
@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton yes I agree with you 💯 tv is too restricted, no need to fix what isn't broken, great flog as always,love the roosting boxes! Ty for staring your fabulous knowledge 🎉
No chance he's not brown or perverted
Joel you are amazing. Your book is the center piece of our greenhouse. And yes I spread wild flowers in every open space of our garden
Thank you, sincerely. Comments like yours can really make a difference to my day! So good to read this, I really appreciate it. Best wishes, Joel
Love this video Joel! We have eave boxes which the starlings nest in - these should be installed in every new build as standard in my opinion! They're such funny, noisy birds. They regularly pop down en-masse to feast on mealworms and bathe in the bird bath. We're also occasionally treated to a murmuration above the terraces which is absolutely magnificent and takes my breath away every time. I'm currently sat in the conservatory watching them gather nesting materials from the garden.
We also have 8 sparrow boxes along the north side of the house (we're an end terrace) and have at least 6 mating pairs each year. This year 7 of the 8 boxes are occupied! Another completely under-rated bird, they're so entertaining to watch. They especially love a dust bath in the summer, something I don't think many people are aware of.
I'm waiting for honeysuckle to grow and cover the garage and I plan to hide a robin box in that, do you think it might still be used if we've got the starlings and sparrows? I'm worried they're too boisterous/territorial for a robin/wren/blackbird - we have a 6x16m terrace garden so it's not massive.
My sparrows and starlings will be the priority, I'd just like to see if I can provide habitat for more bird species but if you don't think they'll use it I'll stick to just providing for my little brown friends!
Keep up the great work.
Hi Samantha, wonderful to read this - what a haven your garden is already and I'm glad you appreciate these often ignored birds, I'm sure it was because of their success previously and people seeing them so regularly that they've easily become forgotten, plus they're not as "pretty" (!) as a Goldfinch for example, but they're all equally struggling to survive. The Robins are pretty feisty in themselves and will fight in the spring, sometimes (rarely) to the death so they'll have no problem holding their own. I have footage of Starlings in the bird-bath from a couple of years ago, all happily having a wash and then my resident Blackbird swoops in and turfs them all out, without a problem. Wrens will build a few nests at the same time if they can, in an attempt to entice females and give them a choice! They're good at making their own nests but will use the Roost box, as will the smaller song birds over the cold nights. I hope this helps - if you buy from Wild Your Garden I'm always happy to take time out and offer personal and tailored advice, so always feel free to drop me a line at enquiries@wildyourgarden.com. Best wishes, and thanks again - Joel
Hey Joel! The boxes look amazing and just the right time of year for getting some! I notice the birds are taking nesting material from the garden, lovely to see a robin with a beak full of moss. Anything we can do to help our feathered friends is so worth doing. Sad about the starlings, I hope we can turn their numbers around, amazing to watch them in the sky in a flock. I think it's called a murmuration? Hope you and the family got some time off over the bank holiday, it's lovely to see spring is here at last. Best wishes.
Thank you! Have had a good relaxing weekend, not sure if you've managed to watch the interview with Iolo Williams yet but I know you'll enjoy every moment. Lots more to come of course now I know everyone can get back in the garden. Yes, very sad about the Starlings, I know they're considered a pest in some parts of the world, but you never miss your water until it runs dry etc and I'd hate to lose this sound from our gardens and summer time. Thanks, as always, for doing your bit and I hope you and yours had a wonderful long weekend too. Very best wishes, Joel
Saving the interview for tomorrow, been a busy but lovely weekend! Love the interviews, really enjoy listening to others talk about their passion for nature too. I have to agree the sound of the starlings is a lovely one. I remember v many years ago putting leftover pastry or stale bread out for the birds and the lawn would literally be covered in starlings. I hope our children/grandchildren get to witness such an amazing sight. Glad you had a bit of R and R, does you good to pause for a little while! Best wishes.@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton
Do the House Martin and Swallows have the same birdhouse requirements? Or does the hole or something change? Here we have more of the latter
Hi there, the House Martin cups have a small hole entrance, whereas swallows will use an open cup with effectively no roof hence they often nest on ledges in garages/outbuildings. I hope this helps, if you're in the UK we do both types at www.wildyourgarden.com. Best wishes, Joel
I had my nest boxes on the west side of my yard after viewing your previous video I moved them to the north, nice looking boxes by the way. I like the vents in the bottom of the boxes.
Thank you, I'm glad that the videos have helped and I'm so pleased with these boxes - no preservatives needed and they really are built to last. Still planning on a Wild Your Garden USA one day 😉😄 Hope you and yours are doing fine, best wishes to you all, as always - Joel
Fantastic video, packed with so much excellent information.
Your boxes are outstanding. They are beautifully made with so much thought, love and care. If only I had space for all of them.
They are an invaluable support for our dearest wildlife. And they look very posh too💚
And what a most beautiful place to create this video. It looks stunning, and beautifully peaceful🙏
Thank you Miche, so much. They certainly were designed so that people would be proud to have these as an addition to their property and viewed from the road - most birds will utilise what they can, and aren't much fussed about looks but it's the people we need to encourage, before we can encourage the birds :) They're proving popular and we have had repeat orders for different styles and that's a compliment too of course. This property is where I have created the huge pond and surrounding meadow (you can just see the pond behind me - all the seeding last year is coming through now and the plants bursting into life), planted trees etc as this client wants to do everything she possibly can to help - I will be uploading a full video of the changes and she has also bought some trail-cams to monitor the success of the visitors, so I hope to be able to make a rather epic video about this site. Thanks again for all your support and encouragement, it means a lot. Best wishes, Joel
@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton This sounds absolutely magnificent. A truly heavenly place on earth. How absolutely wonderful for such an abundance of flora and fauna. You are so amazing with so many beautiful creations that you create. All put together with love, heart, and soul. The earth is far richer, having souls like yourself upon it.
And I'm so glad your beautiful boxes are doing so well. I hope you feel very proud🌻
Brilliant thanks Joel
So informative and interesting 👍
You're very welcome Anna, glad this was helpful to you. Hope your weekend has been good so far, sun here and promised later today too... fingers crossed! Best wishes, Joel
A couple of humorous tales regarding nest boxes . We have a wren that likes nesting in our shipping container lock box and successfully raises a brood despite numerous wren boxes around the garden.
Also last year put a new Robin box up in the honeysuckle and a Blackbird promptly decided to build a nest on the roof , this year though the Robins are sitting on eggs atm and using the box as intended.😊
Brilliant! My father-in-law is a builder and one year he went to the farm where he kept his machinery to find a Pied Wagtail nest in his generator engine, with eggs. So that meant he had to hire a machine for several weeks, I don't think he priced in for that! So glad to hear that the Robins have deemed the box suitable this year. Hope you're having a good weekend, best wishes - Joel
Great advice and information there Joel. As regards the communal sparrow box. One year I had a poor blue tit very confused by the three entrance holes and attempted to build in all three joined boxes. It did eventually complete and raise chicks in the central box. But what a lot of energy was wasted on completing almost three nests as I discovered when I cleaned it out.
Hi Tracey, hope you're having a good weekend and the weather has been fine where you are. That's quite telling re the terrace boxes and good to know, I've not heard of that before but it makes sense. It's what's so heartbreaking about nests being destroyed by predators, particularly if you watched the parent birds putting in so much energy and effort. They never give up though :) Best wishes, Joel
A lady in my wildlife gardening group put her old walking boots up in her garden and had robins nest in them - mine are a bit new for that but when they're done with, I know what where they're going!
It really does work! Does this mean you need to do more walking? ;) Best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshtonAlmost certainly! 😆
❤ watching this. I was thinking of a swift box but too much going on the last few months with my hubby having major health problems.
So sorry to hear this Janie, really I am. I'm glad you enjoyed the video but hope that your husband recovers well and soon. Best wishes to you both, Joel
Bonus video on my birthday!
You’re welcome 😉👍 Ps. Happy Birthday! 😁
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Thanks a lot, Sorry if you’ve already made a video on this but could you cover how to attract different types of reptiles to the garden?
@@geo.m1639That's on my list, I've got quite a bit of footage over the last few years so hopefully soon I can collate and make an interesting and entertaining video for you all, they're oft forgotten and do need our help 😄
Belated Happy Birthday!
@@SisterDogmata Thank you
A brilliant video Joel and some great tips and info on where to put them. 😊
Thanks Amir, so good to hear from you - hope you've been able to get lots done down at the allotment and have had good weather. Still want to come and see you and that brilliant space of yours. Very best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton it’s been so wet Joel, so only managed short periods, but it’s been lovely and quiet a few butterflies out and about
Thanks Carl, great content😊
Joel even! Sorry!
Haha! Don't worry, I'm often called Jules, Josh, Joe and even Kev the other day on a comment! I blame my mum for the unusual name ;) Hope you've had a good weekend Chris - best wishes, JOEL ;-)
Fantastic video. Thank you.
Thank you, I really appreciate this :) Best wishes, Joel
Please attach a small roosting peg , onto your box’s , for the bird to grip before entering the hole.
Really enjoyable and helpful,thank you
Hi Fiona, thank you for this. The only problem with pegs is that Magpies will use these to grip on and reach in and take chicks and fledglings. Birds don't need a peg to grip, they will be perfectly able to grip just below the hole before they enter. I know that traditionally bird boxes had these pegs but it has been proven by RSPB etc that these just allow predators to get a purchase. Hope this helps and explains why we didn't want the pegs on these boxes. I'm glad you enjoyed the video though, another one hopefully next week showing how to install - hope you are having a good weekend, best wishes - Joel
No need for a peg! I removed mine, keeps the woodpeckers from checking out nests.
I’m very glad you mentioned cats. People are generally not aware of the predation pressure cats put on local species and catowners tend to get upset and deny it if I try to mention it. This is a problem across countries and continents, it’s massive and ads to the pressure we already put on species for survival. I wonder though even after seeing this how to best put a Robin box up so that cats won’t get them, seems they need to be low enough so that cats (specially the huge ones hunting at the cottage) can easily get them from trees or bushes.
There was, in my opinion a fantastic cat-curfew in the town of Walldorf in Germany in around 2021-22 I think. Owners were ordered to keep their cats indoors under curfew during May due to the rare Crested Lark and the fact cats were responsible for so much death of wildlife, they also faced a 50,000 Euro fine if their cat killed one. The curfew lasted around a month I think but here in the UK even the Cats Protection League agreed with RSPB and other bodies that cats should be kept indoors from dusk until morning, so that the birds stand a chance. It's such a high number of birds that are killed that something has to be done, aside from the habitat loss due to us humans of course. Best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton In Norway we have laws for dogs having to be on a leash in the months were most wildlife are having young and someone wrote an article in the national press that it’s about time this was implemented for cats as well. Nice to hear about the German town! I agree with you they are crepescular hunters so dusk and dawn is when most wildlife are killed. If they were inside overnight then it would certainly help a lot! Best wishes.
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton It’s really great to hear that several bodies including the Cats Protection League in the UK are becoming aware of the problem and looking for solutions. It’s been bothering me for quite a time though I love both cats and dogs. The more research that is done in various countries the bigger the numbers of birds lost to cats grow every time it’s really scary. People need to be made aware to affect change, thanks again for bringing it up.
@@blue2mato312Agreed! 😃
Joel, do you have a video about detering cats at all?
We've just sadly lost our four legged cat deterrent, and they seem to know we get a lot of birds in our garden so are always hanging around.
Canada too on the west coast❤
Hello Maureen, hello west coast! So good to know I'm reaching you :) Very best wishes, Joel
Thanks
Thank you Kevin, so much
Brilliant video thanks for sharing Joel 🐸💚🐸
Thank you, hopefully next week I can edit the rest of the footage showing me installing them and the best way etc. Hope you're having a good weekend - best wishes, Joel
Lovely video. I’m a bit perplexed about the bat box placing advice, I’m quite sure the UK bat box I hung up (in Norway) came with advice not to hang them in too hot aspects (like south and west) so the bat brood/babies do not get too hot? You didn’t mention their young here. I really want to help the bats at the cottage. Ideally I would love some bat group to come visit and give advice, but I haven’t managed that yet.
Hi there, I have worked with Bat Conservation UK and they definitely advise a sunny location on the East or South. Bat boxes work best with at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight. Hope this helps if you install some at the cottage :) Best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Thank you I will! I’m not sure if I will move the two I got though even though they don’t get that much sun, as it looked like they were being used last summer. But for new bat boxes I will place them much sunnier. Thanks.
Really helpful.👍
Really glad this was helpful Helen, hope you've had a good long weekend so far - best wishes, Joel
Great video, as always Joel. I’ve been a fan for a couple years now. You’ve really inspired me to turn my yard into a haven for wildlife. It certainly is a work in progress, but it’s coming along. Wish I could build a pond, however I have many trees in my yard and there isn’t a clear space for it. Also, we live with an invasive mosquito population, so I’m not sure if that would contribute to their breeding. I shot you all an email about my senior project and tips on what I can do there for wildlife. I was also wondering if you ship to the US.
Thanks for all the inspiration and best of luck!
I forgot to mention that house sparrows and starlings are a big problem in my garden. I know they are lovely to have over there, but it’s a nightmare over here. The sparrows have been harassing the chickadees trying to move in this year. Last year, the sparrows built a nest on top of a downy woodpecker nest in the box and suffocated the mother. This year the woodpeckers drilled a hole in one of my snags and again they were chased out by the sparrows. The sparrows and starlings constantly bully and deter native birds. This year the starlings are moving into the gutter of the house behind us. Im wondering if you have any tips to deter this action.
Thanks a lot
Hey Jimmy, thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement, so good to read this and know that the channel is reaching worldwide. If a pond is set up right and attracts wildlife then mosquitoes can be combatted to an extent, by the visitors like amphibians, birds, larger insects like dragonflies, and of course bats that will all feast on mosquitoes and their larvae. But I do appreciate that some countries/areas have a high population of mosquitoes and a water source will attract them of course. Really sorry to hear about the downy woodpecker and the sparrows, I do appreciate too that these can be a bully species in numbers but they're in such a decline here in the UK. Did you send the email over the last few days Jimmy? If not then please do send again to enquiries@hazelwoodlandscapes.com as I am not sure I have seen it, and don't want you thinking I was ignoring you! Hope you are having a good weekend, best wishes - Joel
My father in law made a bird box with web cam. Very pleased when birds nested. But one day a woodpecker pecked its way in and massacred the lot!
It's pretty soul-destroying when this happens, particularly when you've watched the birds making so much effort and using so much energy preparing everything. They really do wear themselves out during this process, only to have to start again.
Brilliant, thanks :) Question Why do the small bird boxes not have latched doors to clean them out? Thanks :)
You're very welcome :) There is one screw, sometimes two on the top of the smaller boxes, I did show these but the trouble with most latches on smaller boxes is they're not fit for purpose. We sell the ultimate squirrel proof bird feeders on our site, and this is because they're very adept at getting into things, and determined too and they will succeed in getting to eggs or chicks in a box. With the smaller latches they will easily work out how to combat these, and will open lids to get inside. All the boxes are designed for easy cleaning but apologies if I didn't make that clear. Hope this helps :) Best wishes, Joel
Great explanations Joel, i'm gonna move my Robin box now. Its like you said too much centered in the garden and not covered in hedges or shrubs. I've got one more question, what about drilling screws in trees? I've been told to use alluminum nails to prevent diseases in the tree and ive used ty-raps for the other box. Can you use common screws for attaching them to trees?
Hi Edwin, I would use any screws or nails that don't rust - trees will cope fine with such a small wound. Glad the Robin box advice has helped, hopefully they will find it this year but they'll certainly notice it and if they don't take up residence this year there's a very good chance for next year :) Best wishes, Joel
What about a box for The Goldfinch?
Hi there John, you're not the first to ask this :) As yet Goldfinches haven't been known to use nest boxes. They prefer to make a lose cup for a nest and the best small tree/shrub for this bird that I have seen nests in is the Field Maple. It has dense cover and also the right branch structure that they seem to prefer for nesting. If you have space for one it may well be utilised in a few years. Goldfinches have been very successful in recent years and appearing in more and more gardens, which is a good thing - if you wanted to plant some bare-root Field Maple in the autumn we'll have them on the online shop, much more cost effective than potted plants of course and from the same specialist growers that I use for my own projects. Hope this helps, and that you're having a good weekend - best wishes, Joel
Hi Joel
My neighbour has a bat box which I offered to put up for her
My main concern is we live in bungalows Is this still an option ?
Hi Kevin, they do need to be around 4m high ideally, hopefully there's a pitch in the roof that will allow you to get it at least this high. Good luck, best wishes - Joel
It seems the birds here have lots of nesting places because none of my boxes are used. They have been up for years, catproof places with orientation to the north-east - I have seen the birds checking the boxes but in the end they did not choose them. But the hedgehog boxes are full, this year I did not have time to the clean them - I noticed a couple of weeks ago that they are empty and the hoggies are awake, by that weekend they were occupied again.
This is a certainty, I'd place a few bets that they might surprise you and start utilising them but you've no doubt got sufficient habitat in your garden for them to successfully raise broods and that's a good thing. Great re the hedgehogs too, your garden certainly sounds like it's working for wildlife! Hope you're enjoying the weekend, best wishes - Joel
😻
We have had a resurgence in sparrow numbers in the garden in the last couple of years.
I'll definitely consider adding a roost box - do different species use it at the same time?
Where do you buy your plywood - I have been having real problems finding a supplier of good quality sheet materials?
Hi there, blue and great tits, wrens etc will roost together particularly in cold winters, we lose so many of these birds over the cold snaps and they really do appreciate somewhere out of the bitter cold. The laminated ply comes from sustainable forests in Finland, shipped direct to our gentleman that hand-crafts these boxes for us and he does buy in bulk. Hope you're having a good weekend, best wishes - Joel
There's loads of magpies nesting near us... Do they scare off other birds?
Hi there Neil, they can do - birds will spend a good while prospecting for safe houses, ensuring they assess predator possibilities. This is why sometimes bird boxes are not used immediately and why it doesn't hurt at all to put boxes up all year round, it gives the birds more of a chance to survey the surrounds and get used to them. Hope you're having a good weekend, best wishes - Joel
Lovely informative video, thank you Joel. Any ideas for long-tailed tits? I know that they will not use a nesting box. We have been toying with putting up an owl box but have not quite managed to work out how to get it 4+ metres up a tree... 😂
Hi there! Thank you :) Long-tailed tits will nest mainly in brambles, and tight hedges - you can certainly plant these in your garden to provide habitat but they take around 3 weeks to construct their nests. They use a lot of spider webs in their construction and this method means the nest can "stretch" as the chicks grow :) Yes... Owl boxes, quite a height needed, I filmed myself putting up all the boxes featured in this video but it would have made this one too long so that's coming next week. You might have noticed my tree climbing harness in the photos of the owl boxes in the trees, other than that you will need a long-reach ladder. Hope this helps re the Long-tailed tits in the meantime though. Best wishes, hope you're having a good weekend -Joel
Hi Joel, great video. Do you know if the nest boxes could be screwed into the upvc fascias? My house has red slate tiles covering the top half, I have broken tiles at two ends of the house, one has starlings and the other has house sparrows nesting every year. I'm personally fine with just leaving them to it, but I won't be living here forever so would like to give them an option that someone won't want to "fix" when I move.. Do you think the upvc is strong enough?
Hi Bob - it should be absolutely fine, but is it possible to send a photo or two to me at enquiries@wildyourgarden.com so I can see please? Happy to help and advise but photos would determine what method used and the material strength etc. Sorry for the extra work but hope I can help - best wishes, Joel
@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Brilliant, I'll get some photos sent to you when the rain finally stops! Thank you for the help!
@@bobmoshersmonstersNo problem at all, when you're ready I'll be here and happy to help. Speak soon - Joel
Very professional. There are 2 more points worth mentioning here. The timber you are using looks to be a laminated ply and doesn't weather as well as sold timber once the glues break down holding it together it quickly deteriorates. Next point and Iv'e had years of experience on this is unprotected bird boxes. predators like wood peckers and squirrels can hear young chicks inside and literally bore/chew a hole straight in and eat the chicks like grubs, it's a tragic heartbreaking thing to see. So all the bird boxes on my farm are made in the workshop first in sold wood then a 1mm to 1.5 mm protective metal sheathing fixed all around including roof and floor ,followed by lighter timber cladding (old fence panels) outer layer for aesthetics. Problem solved.
Thanks Chris, the gentleman that handcrafts these has worked with BTO for many years and all the boxes he's ever made go straight onto the Moors and have been intact for at least 10 years - the carbon-neutral workshop, sustainably sourced wood, no chemicals etc ensured I chose him to make these boxes for us. Yes, nature is cruel and squirrels and woodpeckers will of course take eggs and young by doing the same to nests and tree cavities. Great re the metal and hopefully it doesn't add heat to boxes that might be exposed in a garden setting, but this would no doubt make these boxes have a prohibitive cost for most people. Great thinking though. Best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Good to see the research has been successfully done re the chosen nesting box material Joel. Regarding any potential heat issue the metal is only very thin and shielded by exterior cladding the main body the bird lives in is 20 mm and wood is a fantastic insulator so no problem. It was a case of overcoming the raiding problem years ago, every box put into place was attacked by Lesser spotted wood Peckers the metal sheath stopped this happening and yes propitiatory boxes would be more expensive but could be an option in susceptible areas but worth it. Can be very distressing to see, diligent parent birds going frantic and helpless to do anything and you knowing whats coming next! I put up a double decker tit box last month as an experiment and pleased to say ground level taken 😃😃
@@christophernunn943 You've definitely put a lot of thought into this, it's good to see you've thought of the predator situation too. Too many boxes these days are a whim, or fad and the amount I've seen that look like teapots, caravans and other brightly coloured novelty items.... RSPB a good few years ago said that Magpies have certainly learned to search out these brightly coloured boxes for easy pickings. The guy that makes our boxes has done years of research and found that the sparrow "terraces" out there are fine until a male house sparrow decides to take up one nest hole and consider the other two holes his territory, meaning the other two holes are not used. They do like to nest close as you no doubt know already, but that one male sparrow can cause a lot of run-ins! Well done on the tit-box, great result. 👍
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Every day is a school day Joel! I live in a rural setting and see very few house sparrows oddly enough, so I found your rendition very interesting, I understand these once ubiquitous birds are also in decline . Every success to you and your enterprise..putting something back into promoting nature in a country with so much habitat destruction is a worthy cause.
@@christophernunn943 Thanks Chris, so much. I really appreciate your support. I expect you have more wildlife in your rural setting that makes up for fewer house sparrows, and I hope you find the channel useful. Best wishes, Joel
What box is best for gold finch please?
I'm not sure they use boxes
Hi there Gary, Novarafan is correct, they've never been known to use boxes as they make their nests in a relatively loose cup-shape and several metres high. If you have lots of shrubs, small trees they may utilise these and I did read that, since they are increasing in numbers so much, it *might* be that one day they could possibly utilise a robin box as it would provide enough space for a loose construction inside - but of course it would have to be placed much higher than you'd place a robin box. I have seen them nest quite a bit in the edges of Field Maple as it provides the perfect branch structure for them to build their nests on top of. Hope this helps, best wishes - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton thanks for the info. I must have 2 pair of gold finch nesting some place close as I see and hear them all day. A beautiful little bird that I'd like to see more. We have some blue tits about too so guess it's tit boxes that are going up.
@@gary-sx1sbThey really are stunning birds, and I remember not so long ago what a thrill it was to see them in any garden - they've certainly been successful which is so good to see. If you haven't found out already, they tend to prefer sunflower seeds over nyger seed these days and they get through loads in my garden, the seed has also attracted Greenfinch and Chaffinch too - I use the same that's on the www.wildyourgarden.com shop - bakery grade high quality and I'd of course recommend it :) Enjoy the weekend Gary, best wishes - Joel
And the moral of the story is keep your cats indoors and control the Grey Squirrel - the numbers of both in this country its a wonder anything fledges
I do wonder this at times....
Cats in the UK kill between 160 and 270m animals per year they reckon and somewhere between a quarter and a third to be birds. Then factor in 2.5million grey squirrels, even if they only raised one nest each per spring that is a hell of a lot of birds. All my bird boxes are either woodstone or fitted with metal plates around the holes to stop them being chewed out. I also trap the squirrels for a few weeks every year to try and make a small difference in my area.
In New Zealand starling are pest, sparrow are pest, blackbird are pest, finches are pest, thrush are pest lorakeets are pest, magpie are pest, myna are pest, welcome swallow are pest, black swan are pest, and yeah those are the main avian pests. You can come and get your ferrets, stoats and weasels too we hate them, they eat kiwi!
All human introduced I'm guessing - it's like the grey squirrel here, much maligned and yet it didn't swim here, we brought it back from the US. We just can't help but interfere huh? Best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton yeah what a lack of forsight and appreciation for our own local plants and animals. The grass is never greener just a different green in a different place. Bcuz of introduced predators many of our endemic species have gone extinct in just 1000 years of human settlement and that has accelerated 100 fold in the past 200 years. It makes me very sad when i think about the abundance my ancestors lived in, they could shake a tree and kākāpō would fall out like apples, now there are about 200 kākāpō left in the world. I’m 19 and I’ve watched the shellfish decline to the point we have lost our staples and in my culture if you cant go into your environment to get food you lose mana (see te aka maori dictionary for translation of mana). The huia an esteemed bird which symbolised the mana of the chiefs and was regarded as taonga (cultural and natural treasure) by tāngata whenua (people of the land) was hunted to extinction by scientists for nothing less than their beauty and the phenotypical contrast of male and female huia. Im not exaggerating hundreds of huia were taken from the wild and theyre displayed in museums all over the world. In the 19th and 20th centuries it was believed that declining native biodiversity was due to the inferiority of NZ species against those introduced from Britain and the same was said for Māori. There is a lot of grief tied in with conservation and many parallels between the people and their local environment.
@@uggali I just looked it up, what a brilliant word Mana is and of course very apt. Really sorry to hear about the shellfish decline too in such a short period of time for you. Re the Kākāpō I also looked this up whilst taking a tea-break and yes human settlers again and a lack of knowledge, understanding and appreciation for this bird, I am glad to read that there is a conservation programme ongoing but to think how many of these birds suffered is just awful:
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new-zealands-quirky-kakapo-are-pulled-back-from-extinction.html
Thanks so much for highlighting all this to me, I've learned a lot in a short period today. We've got a lot of repairing to do for sure.
Best wishes, and thank you again - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton omg Joel you’re so cool! You reeled me in with your pond and wetland content, i also like how thoughtful you are when planting and i like the bird boxes and bat boxes you make you’re literally helping homeless wildlife, that’s angelic. Meadows i find really beautiful and captivating too bcuz the only meadows that naturally occur in NZ are in the mountains above the tree line so that’s an ecosystem we don’t really have here and the abundance and variety of flowers and insects meadows support is extraordinary. My maternal grandfather is from England so through your channel im learning about the natural heritage of my ancestral land a world away, thank you. You’ve gone above and beyond to respond and even research i appreciate that so much, youve engaged with my put-ins as i have with your amazing work, i enjoyed this energetic exchange. A Māori proverb goes ‘ko te kai a te rangatira he kōrero’ this roughly translates to ‘the food of a chief is consumed through the ears’ and i think you have displayed this quality. My last put-ins i promise is that mana isn’t measured in how much you have but how much you give. Turou hawaiki! Blessings are raining on you and your family Joel
@@uggaliHey there - thank you SO much for this. I am at work on a project at the moment, just stopped for lunch but YT notifications are sporadic so would it be ok for you to send me an email to enquiries@hazelwoodlandscapes.com so that we can keep in touch better as I would love to speak more on this with you. I love finding out more about other countries and other cultures and particularly indigenous issues and the wildlife of course. I really do appreciate you taking the time - sincere best wishes and hope to hear from you soon - Joel
Very interesting and informative, as always!
Hi Jane, thank you, glad you enjoyed this. Next week I hope to have the video edited and ready showing me installing the boxes and advising the best way. Just finishing editing on an interview I did recently with a gentleman you might be familiar with, it will be available this evening - thought I'd make the extra effort and bring two videos this weekend as it's a long one :) Best wishes, Joel