Transform your nest box into a winter roost
With autumn in full swing, now is the perfect time to take down your bird box and transform it into a winter roost!
Old, used boxes from the nesting season may contain parasites and harmful bacteria that could pose a threat to future birds. This is why cleaning out bird boxes before the roosting season begins is vital. A clean nest box is also great for enticing new birds to your garden and become frequent visitors. Ivel Valley Bird Food is here to give you a simple step-by-step guide on how to transform your nest boxes into winter roosts!
What you will need:
- rubber gloves
- a cleaning brush
- boiling water
- veterinary disinfectant (optional)
- nesting wool (optional)
Step one
Wearing rubber gloves, take down the nest box for inspection (a good quality nest box should give you easy access through an opening). If you see any unhatched eggs or dead birds, you must dispose of them. Under the terms of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, if unhatched eggs are found in the box, they can only legally be removed from October to January, and they must be destroyed – it is illegal to keep them.
Step two
Using a brush, remove any nesting material in the bird box until it is completely cleared.
Step three
With great care, pour boiling water all over the nest box inside and out until completely drenched.
Step four
For a deeper clean, you can use a veterinary disinfectant such as Ark-Klens to clean a bird box roost. This is great to kill off any deadly bacteria that may harm your birds. Allow the disinfectant to sit on the nest box for 10 minutes, and then pour more boiling water on it. This specialist solution is safe to use on animal accessories and will not harm the birds. Insecticides and flea powders must not be used as these can be harmful to wildlife.
Step five
Leave the bird box to dry completely before placing it back up to its nesting spot.
Step six
If you want to give your birds an extra helping hand for roosting season, place nesting wool a few meters away from the box, so birds can quickly locate nesting material.
Other ways to help birds in the garden
Autumn and winter are essential times to offer birds a helping hand as they use up more energy to find food, and their appetite increases to keep warm. Place multiple bird feeders around the garden and regularly top them up with high-quality bird food. Suet treats, peanuts, and sunflower hearts are a great source of fat for birds, providing the necessary calories to maintain their warmth.
Don’t forget to keep your bird baths or a shallow dish constantly full of clean water. Even in cold temperatures, birds need to stay hydrated.
All bird care products and high-quality bird food mentioned in this tutorial can be purchased on the Ivel Valley Bird Food website at www.ivelvalleybirdfood.co.uk.
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