253 | RECYCLED NESTS AND THEIR LOCATION

253

Art. # 253

RECYCLED NESTS BY BIRDEQUIP

Recycled nests and their location

Text and photos by Stefan Rust

2014

(In terms of the Geneva Convention the copyright of these texts belongs to Stefan Rust)

Today’s lifestyle adds up to a lot of garbage. Keeping our environment clean becomes a major challenge and is very important.

But trash isn’t always garbage and often garbage can be reduced, reused or recycled to help our environment. BirdsConTour tries to make a difference by practicing the three R’s regularly. With this activity, a combined effort by the Birdequip and Young Birders project, people were connected with nature in a way that will imprint in each person a lifelong appreciation for nature. It also showed how fun recycling can be.

      

Out of empty packaging bottles new nesting opportunities for small hole nesting birds were constructed, so called nest bottles.

         

   

A big broken plant pot was fixed again and designed as an owl’s nest.

Afterwards all these recycled nests were located on the bird friendly Farm Gauchas. The siting of nest opportunities is very important and there are a few tips that can help improve chances of success.

- Nest boxes should be put up early enough; birds prefer ‘well worn’ boxes.

- Avoid a spot with day-to-day traffic.

- Select a quiet area.

- The box should face a direction where weather ingress is reduced.

- Avoid locating a spot where potential threats (predators) can wait.

- By offering several nest boxes, success can be increased.

- Spread the nest boxes because most birds occupy territories.

- Locate the nest boxes away from feeding stations to avoid unnecessary stress.

- Avoid putting lots of nesting material into the box.

- Provide nesting material some distance away, such as wood shavings, dog hair and   

  feathers.

- Only watch from a distance, avoid direct contact with the box, birds may desert it.