Media
Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
It’s not too late to
Give Nature a Home!
RSPB encourages people to put up
nestboxes
Morwenna Griffiths, from the RSPB
said, "March sweeps in with a welcome promise of spring and the first early
morning flutters of the dawn chorus tuning up are heard. Song thrushes
harmonise with blackbirds and robins, as they begin to mark their individual
territories and endeavour to serenade a mate in time for the breeding season.
"Birds behave skittishly over the next
few weeks – blackbirds fight it out for a nesting patch and dopey doves might be
seen hanging upside down in trees. It’s all down to hormones; an increase
in prolactein starts to trigger changes in birds at this time of year.
Milder weather, more invertebrates etc to eat and longer daylight hours all
signal to birds that it’s time to start buddying up with those proverbial
bees.
"Nestboxes are excellent substitutes
for natural nesting holes, which may be scarce in gardens. Encourage a
bird to nest in your patch of green by putting up a nestbox - make your own or
purchase a pre-made box from a range of reputable outlets including the RSPB and
other wildlife charities. RSPB nextboxes are made from FSC timber and have
several important features such as: drainage holes to prevent water-logging and
a perch-free entrance with a deep chamber - to keep predators out.
"Blue and great tits, house sparrows,
starlings, robins, wrens and house martins are most likely to take up your
‘LET’, but the species of bird you attract depends on the, the box’s shape,
where you position it and the size of the hole:
"Of course some garden birds don’t
nest in cavities, finches and thrushes hide their open cup nests in
vegetation. So another great way to open your home to wildlife is by
planting a range of native trees, shrubs and climbers – they make great nesting
and feeding habitats."
The RSPB is also keen to remind people
that sparrows and starlings are in serious decline. Putting a nestbox high in
the eaves will help local populations (entrance hole 32 mm for sparrows, 45 mm
for starlings and larger box).
Ends
For further
information and to arrange an interview, please
contact:
Tony Whitehead, RSPB Press Officer,
01392 453754, 07872 414365
Photographs:
Images to support this story are available from RSPB
Images.
To access an image, please click on the hyperlink below and then
enter the user name and password when prompted.
User Name: Nestbsw
Password: Nestbsw1
NOTES FOR EDITORS -
Nestbox hole-sizes and box
positions preferred by different species: (You may wish to include this as
a fact box)
·
25mm blue and coal tits -
·
28mm great tits, tree sparrows, pied
flycatchers –
Fixed 2-4m up a tree or wall, faced
between north and east. The aspect must avoid hot midday sun and wet winds. make
sure the bird has a clear flight path to the nest.
·
32mm house sparrows and
nuthatches
·
45mm starlings
Prefer boxes sited high up under the
eaves. Sparrows nest in loose colonies, so place 2-3 of these boxes a meter
apart.
·
Open-fronted box, robins and wrens
This needs to be low down, below 2m
and hidden out of sight.
Sent by:
|
Morwenna
Griffiths
Reserves & Premises Co-ordinator RSPB South West Regional Office, Keble House, Southernhay Gardens, Exeter, Devon. EX1 1NT Tel 01392 453767 rspb.org.uk |
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The
RSPB is the country�s
largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a
home. Together with our partners, we protect threatened birds and wildlife
so our towns, coast and countryside will teem with life once again. We
play a leading role in BirdLife International, a worldwide partnership of
nature conservation organisations.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654 |
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