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12th February, 2007

The Wildlife Trusts has found the perfect way to help first-timers on to the first rung of the property ladder – for our feathered friends, that is!

National Nest Box Week (14 – 21 February) is organised by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and supported by The Wildlife Trusts across the UK. This year sees the BTO working closely with the BBC to launch Nest Box Challenge, a nationwide online survey, monitoring the success of nest boxes up and down the country.

Wildlife Trusts all over the country are supporting National Nest Box Week, now in its tenth year, by organising many events in honour of birds’ nesting instincts. To find out about events in your area, log on to www.wildlifetrusts.org.

Many birds are starting to look for a home so now’s the time to put up a box in your garden. Natural nest sites, such as hollow trees or cavities of old buildings are fast disappearing as gardens and woods are ‘tidied’ and older properties renovated. It is estimated two million baby birds are reared in nest boxes each year. If you’re lucky, a couple of courting ‘lovebirds’ will move in and, in the months to come, you will be able to catch a glimpse of their chicks.

All boxes should be positioned safely away from predators and the extremes of weather. And different species of bird require different nesting conditions. For example:
• Blue tits use traditional boxes with a small entrance hole on one side
• Swifts need boxes located high on buildings,
• Robins and wrens choose open-fronted boxes hidden in vegetation

Julie Fulton, head of people and wildlife at The Wildlife Trusts, said: “Building bird nest boxes is great fun and surprisingly easy. This is the best time of year to put up new boxes and clean out your old ones ready for the spring. There’s nothing more satisfying than being able to watch a young family being raised in a nest box you have made yourself. Log on to our website to find a local event you can join in. For ideas on nest box building log on to the BTO site from Thursday 1 February.”

ACTIVITIES WITH THE WILDLIFE TRUSTS INCLUDE:

Avon Wildlife Trust -
Wednesday 21 February - Willsbridge Mill - 10am -12.30pm and 1.30pm - 4pm.
Children £5.50 (Members / conc £4) Adults free (£5 materials charge for bird boxes & feeders)
Booking not necessary. Drop-in event suitable for all ages. Bring binoculars if you have them. For further details please contact Ruth Worsley at Willsbridge Mill on 0117 9326885. Be part of the action in National Bird Box week and give birds a helping hand, by making a blue tit or robin nest box or simple hanging bird feeders from reclaimed timber and coppiced hazel. Plus, advice on which shrubs to plant to encourage birds into your garden.

Beds, Cambs, Northants & Peterborough Wildlife Trust
Saturday 17 February – Asda, Corby – 10am-4pm.
BBC Radio Northampton and Trust staff will be putting together 200 flat-packed bird boxes and giving them out to members of the public who, in turn, agree to report the birds that visit them in their garden to the BTO.

Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust -
Sunday 18 February – Slough, Berks – 12noon-3pm
Come along to this fun-filled discovery afternoon at Haymill Valley nature reserve. Find out how to make your own nest box and attract wildlife to your garden, as well as an opportunity to visit and learn about this wonderful community nature reserve. Meet at the reserve entrance adjacent to play area, corner Marescroft Road/Whittaker Road, near Britwell/Burnham, Slough. SU 478 106. Contact Fran Thompson 01628 829574. Children welcome.

Brecknock Wildlife Trust
Tuesday 13 February – Bishop Bevan Hall, Brecon – 10.30am-3pm
Nest Box Workshop – Youngsters can have a go at making bird boxes, bat boxes and insect hibernaculums. Games and other activities too. Bring a packed lunch. Cost: Watch members £2 Non-Watch members £3. The boxes will be used on local Trust reserves or can be taken home for £1 (insect box) or £2.50 (bird box). Children aged under eight years old must be accompanied by an adult. Contact Alexa Farley 01874 610551.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust
Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 February - 10.00-11.30 or 12.00-13.30
Five Acres Nature Reserve, Allet, Nr Truro, CWT HQ. Five Acres Nature Reserve is on the B3284 to Perranporth, north of Truro at the junction in Allet. Meet in the reserve car park immediately on the right (SW 794 486). Join us to make one of two types of nest box, robin or blue tit for your garden birds! We’ll provide the designs; instructions and raw materials & expert help.
Cost: £3.50 per nest box (Price to buy is £8)
Limited places so phone Kirstie on 01872 273939 by Friday 9 to book and order your materials.
Leader: Dave Salmon. Organised by Fox Club to celebrate Nest Box Weekend

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust in conjunction with Southampton City Council's Hawthorns Centre.
Tuesday 20th February - 10am - 4pm - Ground floor of West Quay shopping centre
Members of the public are invited to put together a tit or robin box and take one away with them. Information about nest boxes, and where they should be placed, will be available, along with recorded footage of inside a bird box. Staff will be on hand to help with construction, and the WildLine team will be there to answer any wildlife-related queries.

North Wales Wildlife Trust
Saturday 17th February, Brewery and Eithinog Fields, Bangor 10-12noon
Join a walk to put up three types of nest box at Brewery Fields.  Booking not necessary.  Suitable for all ages.  Cost - donation to NWWT invited.  Be part of the action in National Nest Box Week and give birds a helping hand.  Find out how to make a nest box and attract birds to your garden.  Meet in front of Ysgol Friars, SH 564713 Contact 01248 351541 or Kate Gibbs 01248 681936

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust

Join staff and volunteers for a nest box-making workshop at Attenborough Nature Centre ( http://www.attenboroughnaturecentre) on Sunday 18 February, and encourage wildlife into your garden! Promotions on the sale of Harrison’s bird food and feaders will also be on offer. The nest box-making workshop will run from 10.30am to 12.30pm at a cost of £5 per nest box made, and promotions on bird food and advice on next boxes from 11am to 3pm. Please book for the workshop, which is for aged 6 and above. Telephone Attenborough Nature Centre on: 0115 972 1777.

Shropshire Wildlife Trust will be offering special deals on nest boxes at its shop in Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, throughout National Nest Box Week.

Suffolk Wildlife Trust -
Sunday 11 February 10am – 4pm - Redgrave & Lopham Fen,
Low Common Road, South Lopham, Diss
Guided walks, nest box building, activities and crafts, volunteering information.
Adults £1/children 50p - Tel: 01379 688333

Wednesday, 14 February - 10.30am – 12.30pm - Lackford Lakes, near Lackford, Bury St Edmunds. TL 803708
Family Day – Build a Bird Box. Make your own wooden nest box to take home, plus natural feeders. All ages, adult supervision for under 12’s. £5 - Tel: 01284 728706

Sussex Wildlife Trust
Saturday 24 February - 11:00 – 13:00
Create a new home for birds in your garden. We will be making bird boxes for different species and taking a walk into the woods to learn more about woodland birds.
Meet outside Stanmer House, Stanmer Park, Falmer, Brighton. Members: Adults £2/children £3 /family ticket £8. Non-members: Adults £3 /children £4 /family ticket £12. Booking essential please ring 01273 497561.

Saturday 3 March - 11:00 – 13:00
Create a new home for birds in your garden. We will be making bird boxes for different species and taking a walk into the woods to learn more about woodland birds. Woods Mill, Henfield. Toilets. Sorry no dogs. Wheelchair access and disabled toilets. Members: Adults £2 /children
£3 /family ticket £8. Non-members: Adults £3 /children £4 /family ticket £12. Booking essential please ring 01273 497561

UIster Wildlife Trust –
Wednesday February 14th - Gransha Wood, Londonderry
BBC Northern Ireland and the Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland, in partnership with Ulster Wildlife Trust and RSPB, will host a Nest Box event for schools that are involved with BBC Breathing Places. The event will take place in Gransha Wood, Londonderry on Wednesday February 14th. Pupils from participating schools will learn how to put together, erect and maintain nest boxes for birds and will bring their nest boxes away to create their very own Breathing Place in their school grounds.

Worcestershire Wildlife Trust runs a 'Rent a Nest Box' scheme. Year long ‘leases’ can be taken out on a specified box on selected nature reserves. Leaseholders receive a certificate , an annual report on the nesting activity in their box and an invitation to a visit to see the box on the reserve. The cost is £10 pa (£5 for children). For more information, contact Ros Spanton on 01905 754919 or email ros@worcestershirewildlifetrust.org

Story by RSWT

More Information

For further information please contact:

Anna Guthrie
Senior Press Officer
Tel: 01636 670075
Fax: 0870 0360101
Email: aguthrie@wildlifetrusts.org

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