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Do you make your own? (1 Viewer)

Talon 1

Well-known member
Nest boxes? Or do you buy them.

I started buying them at first but now i make them. Its so easy and cheap B :)
 
Question of time (and laziness no doubt) - but I bought all mine. However, until the last couple of years, it was not very easy to find nestboxes in this country to buy - fortunately there is an annual handicrafts market in the city on the first weekend of March and one or two stalls sell a variety of boxes there. This last year, I needed to purchase 160 and did seriusly think about making them, but simply wouldn't have found time, so went to an Invalid Association and got them to make them for me.
 
Jos Stratford said:
Question of time (and laziness no doubt) - but I bought all mine. However, until the last couple of years, it was not very easy to find nestboxes in this country to buy - fortunately there is an annual handicrafts market in the city on the first weekend of March and one or two stalls sell a variety of boxes there. This last year, I needed to purchase 160 and did seriusly think about making them, but simply wouldn't have found time, so went to an Invalid Association and got them to make them for me.

Jos,

I am interested where you live, what is your commonist bird. Garden bird and Bird of Prey. How are birds generally treated over there?
Purchase 160 boxes?
Sorry , but just interested thats alot of boxes! B :)
 
make mine, enjoy doing the woodwork so something am happy to do in my spare time.

just started making Owl boxes for someone else who was being charged £70 each :eek!:, materials for 2 boxes cost just over £35.
 
Free said:
Jos,

I am interested where you live, what is your commonist bird. Garden bird and Bird of Prey. How are birds generally treated over there?
Purchase 160 boxes?
Sorry , but just interested thats alot of boxes! B :)

A few answers, Lithuania has next to no birding tradition - in the entire country, there are barely a handful of active birders. My local patch, which I often post about, is usually totally devoid of other birders, one Finnish guy also covers it and very occasionally you might get to see a Lithuanian (but that would be a mega-rarity almost!). More or less, wildlife is neither actively appreciated, but there is also very little active persecution. Wanton destruction would be very rare.

Commonest garden bird? Depends which garden and season - Tree Sparrow and Great Tit take the honours in winter, though get up to five woodpecker species around my feeders too (though not strictly in a garden). In summer, Pied Flycatchers are perhaps the most common, occupying boxes very close together.
Commonest bird of prey (by regularity of sightings) - local patch, it would be first Marsh Harrier, then Buzzard, then White-tailed Eagle. On my land, first Marsh Harrier or Lesser Spotted Eagle, then Buzzard.
 
Jos Stratford said:
A few answers, Lithuania has next to no birding tradition - in the entire country, there are barely a handful of active birders. My local patch, which I often post about, is usually totally devoid of other birders, one Finnish guy also covers it and very occasionally you might get to see a Lithuanian (but that would be a mega-rarity almost!). More or less, wildlife is neither actively appreciated, but there is also very little active persecution. Wanton destruction would be very rare.

Commonest garden bird? Depends which garden and season - Tree Sparrow and Great Tit take the honours in winter, though get up to five woodpecker species around my feeders too (though not strictly in a garden). In summer, Pied Flycatchers are perhaps the most common, occupying boxes very close together.
Commonest bird of prey (by regularity of sightings) - local patch, it would be first Marsh Harrier, then Buzzard, then White-tailed Eagle. On my land, first Marsh Harrier or Lesser Spotted Eagle, then Buzzard.


Thanks B :)
 
Free said:
Nest boxes? Or do you buy them.

I started buying them at first but now i make them. Its so easy and cheap B :)


I spend all day making boxes for a living. There's something very satisfying about creating those little homes! Getting up in the morning is no chore at all!

And as an added bonus I have all the boxes I need around the garden.

Jason
 
Jason Alexander said:
I spend all day making boxes for a living. There's something very satisfying about creating those little homes! Getting up in the morning is no chore at all!

And as an added bonus I have all the boxes I need around the garden.

Jason

Good stuff! jason.

What's the best wood to use?
And the cheapest and cost effective way?

Like i said i do make my own but would like to find out how you keep the costs down? B :)
 
I get quite a lot of scrap wood from a local woodworker, he has a skip outside his workshop with stuff that is no use to him but very useful for nestboxes, also get scraps from a local builders yard.
 
I made, and will continue to make my own, and also some for my sister.

I am disabled, and find it very rewarding to sit and make something that actually does some good, and that gives me so much personal satisfaction and pleasure.

That pleasure is increased manyfold when you see that they are being used for roosting and nesting. When those little fluff balls actually appear for the first time, and you know they have been brought into this wolrd via your own endeavours - wow.

Regards,
 
I always make my own - partly becuase no one does ready built owl & woodpecker boxes but mainly because I am frugal (or tight as some may say).


What's the best wood to use?
And the cheapest and cost effective way?


Like Richard I use all scrap timber, I find I can approach builders yards, construction sites & people who are house fitting and they are usually really good about letting me have stuff.

Handy Tips:

1) ALWAYS ask, do not be tempted to lift timber off Skips as some people can get very grunmpy very quickly.
2) Carry a few bird photos (if you have any) as this always helps to break the ice, and it makes them think your request is slightly less potty.
3) Watch out for recently treated timber - you never know what chemicals are involved or the possible affect on nesting birds.
 
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