What is the best way to attach one of the nest boxes to my cherry tree, because I believe you shouldn’t put a nail in the tree?
Tie it on with rope (two peices top and bottom)?.
Some thoughts from my own experience:
Personally though unless it is a mature tree at least 4 metres high and not an ornamental Cherry, I don’t think I would find it suitable. If that is the tree you mean (next to the shed a/ it is too close to the shed for another nestbox b/ It is too close to the feeders so they would need to be moved c/ the trunk looks rather small in the image - The trunk needs to be wide enough that the back of the box lies flat against it with room to spare to give it stability. I also have a cherry tree about the same size and it most definitely isn’t suitable for a nest box, I did think originally it might be but it will never be big or sturdy enough, even though now 15ft tall the long branches on my Cherry are very soft and bendy (they barely support a full seed feeder with a baffle on it) and it moves like crazy in the wind.
The height you place a nest box depends on the type of nest box/species of bird you are catering for (determined by the nestbox hole diameter) but if it is low, it needs to be obscured by vegetation. I too have quite a small garden and have one nestbox under the eaves of a large summerhouse (10 feet high) in the shade for Tits, the other behind a thick climbing rose on fencing which is suitable for Wrens or Robins. I also have an old ancient Victoria Plum tree but again it is too small for a nest box. Also, all my garden birds use all the trees and large shrubs in my garden when grouping before hitting the feeders or waiting their turn to eat - the tits especially backwards and forwards from feeders to branches. No self-respecting Blue Tit is going to nest in the middle of Union Station for birds so you need to think about how birds use the overall space in your garden.
You could just put one box up for now on the shed (although personally I think the area could be stalked by cats attracted to chick feeding activity (or even the close by bird feeders) because it will be in such a tight space, very visible and relatively low (a cat may not be able to get paws in the box but could predate one of the parents in the vicinity of the box by sitting on the shed roof or adjacent fence which would amount to the same thing.). Rather, I would probably attach one of the boxes to a quiet wall of the house (facing North/East) using a piece of mdf as a base (ie attach a square of mdf to the wall using wall plugs then slot the nest box onto round screw heads on the mdf). I would make it at least 10 feet off clear ground and also grow an old fashioned
prickly dog rose up a trellis against the wall underneath it so eventually it conceals it and provides cover - preferably where there’s little human activity). Unfortunately predation of nestboxes by cats (or corvids) is a real risk especially in small urban gardens bordered by fencing with shed etc so it’s difficult to find optimum nest box sites but it just needs a bit of creative thinking! The best deterrent against cats (if you don’t have a dog) is plant prickly bushes all along the perimeter- I have hawthorn, pyracantha, rambling roses along every fenceline! When they are mature, they will make the best nest sites I could provide for Dunnock, Wrens and Robin - and the Pyracantha feeds the thrushes (well mostly the Woodpigeons but it’s something 🙂).
These guidelines should help
Advice from the wildlife team on looking after your local feathered friends. From the best bird tables to helping prevent injuries and attacks.
www.rspb.org.uk
