Attracting sparrows to a nest box? (1 Viewer)

[Dogstar]

Hello,
I would like to make or buy a nesting box for sparrows. For the last few years sparrows or finches have been nesting in the exhaust vent for my kitchen and we need to fix the opening to prevent that and clear it out... I'd like to put up some type of nest box that they can use instead of the vent!
I've never bought a nestbox before, do they sell ones for sparrows specifically? Is there anything I can do to make a box more attractive to them?

 

[joannec]

I have had sparrows nesting in tit boxes, the sort with a hole. For sparrows the hole needs to be 1 1/2 ". Sparrows like to nest communally and you can buy (in England, anyway) a box with a row of seperate cubicles, each with their own entrance hole. These typically have 3 or 4 cublicles side by side, the whole structure is about 18-24" long and about 8" high and about 4" deep, easily built with limited carpentry skills. Good luck.
Joanne

 

[Richard Bryce]

http://www.beautifulbritain.co.uk/htm/wildlife_gardening/sparrow_terrace.htm

Is an example of a home-made variety. Up high near/under the eves is usually the advice, facing away from the worst of the sun avoid over-heating.

 

[Abbygirl]

I would like to make or buy a nesting box for sparrows

What type of sparrow's? do you know?

 

[RKell1]

I put up a box for house sparrows in December. 3 weeks ago a female sparrow started building her nest then last Thursday I noticed a Robin had taken over the box and spent all day Friday bringing moss etc to the box. When I came back from a birding trip on Monday!!!! No sign of Robins or Sparrow using box, however a pair of Great Tits have returned and are nesting in a natural hole in the garden wall, totally ignoring another box beside them..

 

[Abbygirl]

Great Tits. wow how awesome!

 

[RKell1]

Great Tits. wow how awesome!

Robins are back with female adding the finishing touches to the nest at 06:30am today and Male singing from top of small tree...or is male doing work and female singing...can never tell. This is 1st year for Great Tit's, previous 2yrs Blue Tits have nested in the same hole in the wall..Only change I've made in that area of the garden over the last 2yrs was to plant some bramble which this year is trained to height of 7ft, grows like crazy but provides loads of berries for autumn. o

 

[Sancho]

Robins are back with female adding the finishing touches to the nest at 06:30am today and Male singing from top of small tree...or is male doing work and female singing...can never tell. This is 1st year for Great Tit's, previous 2yrs Blue Tits have nested in the same hole in the wall..Only change I've made in that area of the garden over the last 2yrs was to plant some bramble which this year is trained to height of 7ft, grows like crazy but provides loads of berries for autumn. o

Did you notice if house sparrows were nesting locally? The reason I ask is that I was thinking of putting up one of those communal house sparrow boxes for next year, but there are no sparrows on the estate (in south Bray) where I live, it´s all PVC fascias and soffitts. But there are a few specific locations within a mile of here where sparrows hang out, and I was hoping to attract them over here somehow over the winter with fat-balls or whatever, and then try and motivate them to stay with nest-boxes. Any advice you might have would be most appreciated.

 

[Richard Bryce]

...house sparrows...hoping to attract them over here somehow ...and then try and motivate them to stay with nest-boxes.

No harm in putting up a box or two. A Sparrow or three looking for a winter roost/breeding site will eventually find it. Try also putting out the type of feed Sparrows are attracted to in ordder to get them to visit your garden. White millet for instance. Scatter some on a shed roof so it is more visible.

rich

 

[keith richter]

try to hook- up (sparrow nest box blue prints) in your search box maybe that will work :t: :t: :t:

 

[Sancho]

Thanks for that advice, Rich and Keith! This will become my great project for the next year or two. Can´t wait to get started!