martinwilkinson
New member
Hi all,
Many woods have a poor profile of trees, providing few natural nest cavities. I would like to know of any experiences and research into assisting nature in creating a better profile. I call this 'distressing trees' on the basis of doing damage to trees which will create some interesting habitat for nesting / breeding.
My interest is not just birds, but also insect populations, which may also affect the bird populations.
To date my only leads are
- bee blocks ( which are more akin to nest boxes)
- some individual experiences of people who have done their own bit to help woodpeckers, by drilling into live trees (TW scout camp!)
- ring barking to create dead standing trees ( which takes a long time and is hard work)
In principle I am looking for an operation that is cheaper than putting up nest boxes, which are often too specific, and pretty artificial in the long run. My current idea is literally drilling a large number of holes into living trees, and observing what takes advantage of the additional habitat. Perhaps I should point out that the small reserve I help with has 20,000 pine trees that are basically far too uniform, young and healthy.
All help and leads welcome.
cheers
MartinW
Many woods have a poor profile of trees, providing few natural nest cavities. I would like to know of any experiences and research into assisting nature in creating a better profile. I call this 'distressing trees' on the basis of doing damage to trees which will create some interesting habitat for nesting / breeding.
My interest is not just birds, but also insect populations, which may also affect the bird populations.
To date my only leads are
- bee blocks ( which are more akin to nest boxes)
- some individual experiences of people who have done their own bit to help woodpeckers, by drilling into live trees (TW scout camp!)
- ring barking to create dead standing trees ( which takes a long time and is hard work)
In principle I am looking for an operation that is cheaper than putting up nest boxes, which are often too specific, and pretty artificial in the long run. My current idea is literally drilling a large number of holes into living trees, and observing what takes advantage of the additional habitat. Perhaps I should point out that the small reserve I help with has 20,000 pine trees that are basically far too uniform, young and healthy.
All help and leads welcome.
cheers
MartinW