Welcome to National Nest Box Week

Bluetit in a nestbox. Photograp by Chritine M Mathews

National Nest Box Week is great for birds. Starting on St Valentine's Day, it's the time we remind ourselves to provide homes for dozens of species, from Blue Tits to Barn Owls.

If you've never built a nest box before, why not give it a go this year? Or if you haven't got the time, it's easy to buy a good one. Go on, take part for Britain's birds!

 

NNBW aims to:

  • encourage everyone to put up nest boxes in their local area in order to promote and enhance biodiversity and conservation of our breeding birds and wildlife.
Blue tit at nest box - by Richard Castell

Blue tit

The natural nest sites on which many of our bird species depend, such as holes in trees and buildings, are fast disappearing as gardens and woods are ‘tidied’ and old houses are repaired. Since National Nest Box Week was launched in 1997, thousands of enthusiastic naturalists across the UK have put up boxes to compensate for this loss. It is estimated that there are now 5-6 million boxes in gardens across the UK.

 

 

NNBW – Who are we?

  • NNBW is organised each year by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Britain’s leading bird research charity, whose work primarily involves studying the populations of our common and garden birds.
  • NNBW takes place each year from 14-21 February, and after 10 years it is now an established part of the ornithological calendar.
  • The founding sponsor and co-organiser of NNBW is Jacobi Jayne & Co., Britain’s nest box specialists, who created the idea of National Nest Box Week together with the late Chris Mead of the BTO.

GET INVOLVED!

Whether you’re a family with space for a box in your garden, a teacher, a member of a local wildlife group, or you belong to a bird club and could organise a work party, National Nest Box Week gives you the chance to contribute to the conservation effort in the UK whilst giving you the pleasure of observing any breeding birds that you attract to your garden.

Follow the links for ideas on how you can take part — and remember that any time of year is a good time to put up a nest box.

GO ON, GIVE A BROOD A HOME!

Blue tit brood - by Richard Castell

Blue tit brood

For more information about nests and nest boxes, contact us at

For further information about how National Nest Box Week operates, and for permission to use the National Nest Box Week logo, please contact:

Jeff Baker, BTO –