Bird Boxes

A bird box, also called a nest box, is a small wooden shelter that gives wild birds a safe place to build a nest and raise their chicks. It stands in for the holes in old trees and buildings that many garden birds naturally nest in. Building one is a classic beginner woodwork project, and a genuinely useful one for local wildlife.

The hole-fronted box is the one most people picture: a closed box with a small round entrance. The size of that hole decides who moves in. A 25mm hole suits blue tits and coal tits, 28mm lets in great tits and 32mm is right for house sparrows and nuthatches. Make it bigger and you open the door to the neighbours you didn't invite.

Open-fronted boxes have a wide gap across the top half of the front instead of a hole. Robins and wrens like these, especially tucked away in thick climbers or hedges. There are also specialist boxes for swifts, house martins, owls and more, but they're a step up from a first build.

Most bird boxes are made from a single plank of untreated wood, marked up and cut into a front, back, two sides, a base and a roof. You measure, saw, drill the entrance hole, then fix the pieces together with nails or screws. A few small holes in the base let rainwater drain out, and a hinged or removable roof makes it easy to clean.

Your Activity Leader shows you how to use each hand tool safely and helps you choose the right entrance hole for the bird you'd like to attract. A light sand to finish, and it's ready for its new owners. Skip the perch, as it mainly helps predators.

Fix it to a tree, wall or fence, usually a couple of metres or more off the ground and out of reach of cats. Facing it somewhere between north and east keeps it out of the strongest sun and the worst of the wind and rain. Give birds a clear flight path in and keep it away from busy feeders. Autumn and winter are great times to put one up, so birds can scope it out before spring. Clean out old nests once the nesting season is over.

Yes, it's one of the best first woodwork projects there is. The shapes are simple, the joints are forgiving and you come away with basic DIY skills you'll use again. There's also something deeply satisfying about spotting a blue tit nipping in and out of a box you built with your own hands.

You might also like Bug Hotels, Wood Whittling and Pyrography.

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