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I was
abroad when the last spell of snow and frost hit the
country and the unseasonably mild weather was back
when I returned. A press release from the BTO informed
that a nest of blue tits in Kent had fledged by end of
January and a pair of great tits had laid in
Lincolnshire.
I have
seen a female blackbird hopping through a mass of
honeysuckle as if looking for a nesting place, but I
have not yet seen any activity around my nestboxes.
But it is clearly time to make sure that they are in
good order for the nesting season.
According
to Geoffrey Chaucer, the birds got married on St
Valentine's Day, but it seems that, like humans, they
are losing their traditional values and not waiting
for the formalities. This does not stop the BTO
launching National
Nest Box Week every year on February 14th. This year
they have republished the BTO Nestbox Guide to
coincide with this date. The author,
Chris du Feu, says 'Sadly you often see boxes which
are damaging to birds' breeding prospects. I have
attempted to show what makes a good nest box, which
can often be made from very cheap or recycled wood'.
The
first BTO nestbox guide was published in 1952. This
version is worth buying for the extra practical
details of manufacture and siting, including the
useful safety recommendation that 'Common sense is a
far better guide than a book full of detailed policies
and rules'.
To
buy a copy, send a cheque for £8.99 (£7.99 plus £1
p&p), contact Chris Morley at BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford,
Norfolk IP24 2PU; tel.
01842 750050, or e-mail chris.morley @ bto.org.
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