Thursday, February 05, 2009

Re: nestbox cleaning out

In the latest copy of Bird Table, the magazine for contributors to the BTO/RSPB Garden Birdwatch Scheme, Mike Toms writes that Wrens, Goldcrests and Long-tailed Tits all sometimes roost communally in nest boxes. (I'm doing this from memory, as I've lost the mag., which someone passed on to me.)

Might it be detremental to possible cosy roosting to clean them out at this point, considering the weather? Cleaning them I agree with to make them more likely to be used for breeding in spring, but maybe we should wait a few weeks.

(I'm not wussing out by the way, there's no place I love more than Hardcastle Crags in the snow!)

If we do go ahead, I can bring a 14ft. ladder, camera, bags and labels.
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2 comments:

Goldon Gordon said...

To add to Steve thoughts. A few aestivating moths use nest boxes over-winter so any records could be passed to Andy C for his database. Also a year or so back I obtained some of the nesting material from Nick C and raised quite a few of Tineidae micro moths. Not particularly rare but first confirmed breeding records for Calderdale. Maybe Andy C or some of the other moth recorders would like some of the old nesting material to try and rear moths ?

10:33 am
S Gray said...

from the bto ringers forum 2 weeks ago up to 40 wrens where seen to come out of one nest box

2:02 pm

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