It was my 40th birthday in Lock down to celebrate my birthday I'm giving you a mystery.
The coordinates, as you can see are hidden in this message, you will find numbers in place of the letter, E.G (WH1CH) starting from now, you write down the numbers and in order this will be your coordinates, of course it starts with N.....
To attract the species of birds that will use nest boxes put out some bird feeder5 and food and place them near to your next box to encourage birds to start exploring your garden. Try putting out peanuts or sunflower hearts for tits, suet for woodpeckers and nuthatches, and mealworms for robins, wrens, and thrushes.
There 1s a shortage of natural nesting sites for birds and this has played a part in the d3cline of some of the UK’s most iconic species. It is easy to provide nesting opportunities for birds in our gardens and outdoor spaces, however, and with spring rapidly approaching, now is the ideal time to start thinking about nest boxes for your local birds. Locating your nest boxes correctly is one of the key determinants in how likely birds are to occupy them and with this in mind we have put together some answers to the most frequently asked questions about nest boxes – covering where and when to put up your boxes, cleaning and maintenance as well as dealing with predators.
There really is no ‘best’ time to put up nest boxes. By putting up boxes in the autumn you can provide much needed winter refuges for roosting birds and possibly increase the chance of them staying and nesting there when spring comes around. However, any box erected before the end of February stands a good chance of being occupied if it is sited correctly. Even after February there is still a chance that they will be used; tits have been known to move in during April and house martins as late as July. Therefore, put your nest box up as soon as it is available rather than leaving it in the shed!
When it comes to nest 6oxes, the ‘where’ is much more important than the ‘when’. Nest boxes must provide a safe, comfortable environment and protect the inhabitants from predators and the worst of the weather. This may be difficult to achieve; a s4fe location out of reach of predators may also be exposed to the weather, so have a good think before you start bashing nails in.
Nest boxes can be fixed to walls, trees or buildings and different styles of boxes are available which are suitable for each. Fixing to artificial surfaces means the growth of the tree does not have to be considered which is useful.
Locating boxes out of the reach of predators can be a challenge (weasels can climb almost anything), but there are things you can do to make it harder for them. Boxes in gardens should be located where cats cannot get to them and prickly or thorny bushes can also help to deter unwanted visitors. Some nest boxes also have anti-predator designs.
It is best to avoid nest boxes that have a combined bird feeder and boxes should not be sited too close to the bird feeders in your garden. Visitors to the feeder may disturb the nesting birds and the feeder could attract unwanted attention from predat0rs.
For many species the hei9ht of the (w) b0x is n0t cru1ial. I'm doing no hints again, so I suppost the clue is in the texted it's a little bird box in side the ivy in one of these huge tress, go to the tree and look up, don't put it out of the tree but you can uncrew it. However, by placing it at least two metres of the ground you can help prevent predators and human interference. The d1rection of the entrance hole should be away from the prevai7ing wind and it is beneficial for there to be a clear flight path to the box. Crucially, the box should be also be shelt3red from the prevailing wind, rain and strong sunlight, so in most UK gardens aim for an aspect of northerly, easterly or south-easterly. If possible, position the box with a slight downward angle to provide further protection from the rain. Some species do have sp4cific requirements for where a box should be sited (e.g. house martins and swifts nests need to be sited under the leaves); please see our product details for particular instructions for different species. Wherever you position the box, try to ensure that you can stil7 get access to it for maintenance.
so write out your numbers N- -, - -, - - -, W - - -, - -, - - -
Good luck.....