Ercall Nest Boxes - Keith Fowler

In the depths of winter we installed 30 nest boxes on the slopes of the Ercall that were kindly donated to the Shropshire Wildlife Trust by C J Wildlife. Last week we gathered to monitor the boxes to see if any birds had taken advantage of the ready-made nest cavities.

We met at the car park opposite the Buckatree Hotel. Matt was not with us as he had at last been offered the chance to gain his Chain-Saw competency. Keep well clear next year when we are clearing scrub and trees. In his stead Stephen had been asked to lead the morning’s activity.

Some marched to the top of the hill, remembering ruefully that last time we did this we were carrying a bag and pushing a wheelbarrow each full of nest boxes. (A single nest box is not very heavy,  but a dozen in a bag or more on a wheel barrow takes some effort to carry/push uphill.) Others plodded. But they were rewarded by the sound of the Wood warbler.

Once we had all reached the top Stephen gave instructions on what to do. It sounded complex but turned out to be very straightforward. We had to look in each box and record what we found on a piece of paper.

We split into two groups, one starting with the first box and working forwards, the other at the end working backwards. So, half of us trekked off to find number 30 (the boxes had helpfully been numbered 1 to 30 and were installed in numerical order). By the time we found number 30 David had already inspected 4 or 5 on the way!

The gist of the monitoring is that you unhook the lid, lift it, peer inside and record what you see. Is it empty, does it have a nest, or evidence of nest building? If there is a nest are their eggs, if so, how many, and which bird species?

First step was to find the box. Some were very easy, others were clearly installed by someone with a strange sense of humour, but more upsettingly three were missing presumed, after very extensive searching, to have been stolen or destroyed.

Having found the box do a quick physical inspection to check if it has been damaged. Two had had their hook broken off as some passer-by had tried, presumably) to force open the lid to look inside. It would have been easier to unhook the lid first. David and David managed to repair one of the damaged boxes but the other is now hookless until repaired.

Most boxes were empty, some had droppings so had been inspected as potential sites or used for roosting, others had nest material (mainly moss) and a few had nests which were unoccupied.

ONE HAD A BLUE TIT BROODING ITS EGGS.

So our efforts had all been worthwhile and with a bit of luck, and apathy from the local vandals and thieves, more will be used as the season progresses.


Keith Fowler