As well as being Valentines Day, February 14th also marked the start of National Nest Box Week. The week is organised by the British Trust for Ornithology and aims to encourage everyone to put up nest boxes to help encourage and support breeding birds in our local area.

Started in 1997, one of the drivers behind the week was the fact that gardens were generally being tidied up by their owners and as part of this process many of the holes that birds used to use to nest in are disappearing. Old houses and out-buildings are also being renovated or demolished and again bird nesting sites are vanishing as this happens. 

There is a useful tutorial on the NNBS site which also tells you what you need to construct a simple nesting box and how to do so. Useful tips are also given as to the size of hole you should have depending on the species of bird that you are trying to attract.

If you're new to nest boxes and want to learn more then the BTO also has a fantastic book, The BTO Nestbox Guide,
that covers everything you could need to know; how to construct a box, where to site it in your garden, and care and maintenance of your box. Also covered are details of the twenty most common species of bird that inhabit nest boxes in the UK.

Once your box is up remember to keep an eye on the comings and goings and also report back to the BTO as to what you see. In March they will be launching their 2010 Nest Box Challenge where they want to hear about what you have nesting in your box to help them track how breeding birds are getting on across the UK.

National Nest Box Week runs from 14 – 21 February 2010.