Page 47 - 2021 Almanac
P. 47
The number of swifts is falling. Encourage them to visit by building a larger nest box (55 mm hole) and attaching it to the side of your house or high up in a tree!
Hole sizes
Different birds need different-sized holes:
• 25 mm or larger for blue, coal and marsh tit;
• 28 mm or larger for great tit and tree sparrow; • 32 mm for house sparrow.
Making a hinge
A lid is important so that you can get into the box easily to check what is going on inside – and to clean it each
season. Attach a waterproof hinge
to the roof of the box, so that it
can be lifted easily but won’t fall
off. You can use pieces of tyre
inner tubes or cut-up plastic milk
bottles to make your hinge. Cut the rubber or plastic to the width of
the box, and then nail it along the
back of the box and
to the roof.
45
