Another new nestbox goes up!

This week I picked up another selection of nestboxes made for me by Ricky at Riverside Woodcraft (www.riversidewoodcraft.co.uk) I will be writing a little more about my owl projects in the area, very soon, but this consignment included 2 barn owl boxes, another kestrel box, a Little owl/jackdaw/dove box and a blackbird nest box.

Today’s project was the kestrel and the little owl/jackdaw/dove box. I already have a kestrel box in an oak tree close to my house. This new one is going up in a tree in the corner of the field that adjoins my garden. I can see this tree from my office and I am confident that something will take up residence there next spring. I had stock doves nesting in my other kestrel box last year, but I would rather have a kestrel!

The box is very heavy and sturdy and it is hard to position in the tree. We cut a cardboard rectangle out the same size as the base of the nestbox and used this to help decide how we are going to fix this one in the tree. With the light fading today, that project will have to be continued… watch this space for more updates.

I had also purchased this nestbox from Ricky….

It is suitable for a range of species… possibly little owls, but also jackdaws and doves. I decided to add a perch to it as I wanted to mount it on an old pole in the field next to my garden, so I screwed a branch to the front….

I mounted this box about 15 feet up on an old telegraph pole, in the field right nest to my garden. I have angled it inwards slightly to avoid the main wind direction. It is within reach of the camera I set up at the end of the garden if anything shows and interest…. have to wait and see.