Autumn is the season to put up new nest boxes. Birds are starting to look for roosts to shelter in on cold winter nights, as well as scouting out good nesting spots for spring. A huge range of birds – from robins to song thrushes – often make their homes in gardens and providing boxes lures them in, as well as giving us the delight of watching them.
And, when it comes to endangered species, such as swifts and house sparrows, putting up boxes helps to boost their numbers. Here are 10 gorgeous nest houses that fill help your garden with birdsong.
Sparrow multi-nest box
Produced by the fabulous not-for-profit charity Turning Corners, this lovely Handmade Multi-Nest Bird Box (£30, Turning Corners), made from reclaimed timber, is excellent for house sparrows. Use the code HOMES15 to enjoy a discount on any order over £15.
Birch box
This beautiful Natural Birch Log Bird Nest Box (£14.99, National Trust and Crocus), built from sustainable birch wood, is perfect for the modern naturalistic garden and makes an ideal home for great tits or nuthatches.
Slate-roof box
Ideal for high-rainfall regions, this beautiful and highly durable Apex Bird Box (£34, Wild Shack) is handmade by Wild Shack in the Brecon Beacons with reclaimed slate and local larch wood. Available with a range of hole sizes, starting at 25mm for coal tits and blue tits.
Woodpecker house
Great spotted woodpeckers are increasingly seen in gardens – especially those that provide a suet or peanut feeder. This Large Bird House (£36.99, RHS Plants) has sufficient room for their large eggs and a sealed entrance hole they must peck open themselves.
Robin box
A gorgeous dark-grey open-fronted pine Robin Box (£27.99, Crocus) with an overhang and drainage holes for weather protection; this would make a fine house for a family of robins or wrens.
Blackbird box
The Flyte Blackbird Nest Box (£28.95, Flytes of Fancy) is handmade in Dorset using dense sustainable redwood for insulation and will appeal to blackbirds, robins, and song thrushes.
Swift multi-box
Whizzing and spinning through the sky at speed, swifts are a joy to live alongside. This Triple Chamber Nest Box (£140, RSPB) is designed by Action for Swifts, a voluntary organisation, which aims to halt the decline of this wonderful bird.
Wren house
This diamond-shaped Apex Robin & Wren Bird Box (£28, The Nestbox Company), made from sustainably sourced redwood, will provide a cosy hideaway for wrens, robins, or dunnocks.
Bird pot
This super stylish Terracotta Bird Nester (£28, Toast) harks back to the 17th and 18th centuries, when people hung earthenware pots and bottles on buildings to house birds. Because terracotta dampens in rain, this pot is best hung under the eaves of a house.
Paintable box
The Kids DIY Nesting Box (£12.50, Kew) is a fun way to get children interested in wildlife. Use outdoor acrylic paints to transform this pine box into a colourful home for small birds.
When is the best time to put up a nest box?
Autumn is ideal to help birds shelter from winter weather, but any time before mid-February will do. Some birds start scouting out sites to raise a family in spring now, while others wait until late winter.
Where is the best place to put a bird box?
Out of direct sunlight and wind. Avoid spots that receive south-facing sun or south-west winds.
Out of reach. Protect birds according to their needs – for instance, swifts and blue tits need a clear flight line to their box to dodge predators, while wrens and robins like to be concealed (for instance, behind the evergreen foliage of ivy). Don't site boxes close together, unless they're for sociable birds, such as swifts.
In shelter. If the box doesn't have a slanted roof, attach it at a slight angle to slough off rain or position it on a tree trunk or under eaves.
At the right height. Site open-fronted bird boxes (for robins) 1 to 2 metres above the ground; peep-hole boxes (for tits) 2 to 4 metres high; sparrow multi-boxes 2 to 5 metres high; woodpecker boxes at 3 to 5 metres; and swift boxes 5 metres up or more.
How do you attach a nest box to a tree?
Use an aluminium nail or nylon bolt or hug the box securely to the trunk using wire inside a section of hosepipe or bungee cord at the top and bottom of the box.
What is the best bird house for robins and wrens?
Robins, wrens, spotted flycatchers, wagtails, and dunnocks love open-fronted boxes. Robins are eccentric nesters and choose all sorts of objects as their abode, including wellies in sheds and plant pots in greenhouses.
What is the best bird house for tits and nuthatches?
Tits and nuthatches like a traditional nest box with a small hole. 28-32cm is a good size for great tits and nuthatches; 25-28cm is ideal for blue tits and coal tits. Some makers (such as Wild Shack) offer boxes with different hole diameters.
What is the best bird house for sparrows?
House sparrows are often forgotten when it comes to nest boxes and they're struggling (we've lost 30 million since the 1970s). Help them out by erecting multi-chamber boxes; they particularly love these boxes under the eaves of a house.
What is best bird house for swifts and swallows?
Swifts like wooden boxes and prefer nesting in sociable proximity, so, if you can sell the idea to your neighbours, why not create a street or village full of swift boxes. House martins (which, like swifts, are endangered) and swallows prefer bowl nests under the eaves of houses.
Which garden birds don't use nest boxes?
Goldfinches and chaffinches build their own nests in dense trees, shrubs, or hedges. Blackbirds and thrushes also enjoy nest DIY, but sometimes use open-fronted boxes.
