Nestbox cleaning at Linacre - 22nd January 2011

Following the cancellation of this event at the end of 2010 due to the bad weather, we eventually managed to get together to check last year's boxes and give them a good clean out before the new breeding season begins. As well as checking the existing boxes we also put up a further 28 boxes in an area to the east of the top reservoir, making a total of 86 boxes in total.

83 of the boxes are either tit boxes or open fronted boxes, with a Kestrel box, a Treecreeper box and an owl box, which we hope will be used by the local Tawny Owl population and not by the resident Grey Squirrels!

Inside the Kestrel box!!

Our target bird is the Pied Flycatcher, which we have recorded in the woods for at least the last 5 years and which has nested in our boxes on 2 previous occasions, in 2008 and 2010. With this in mind the new boxes have been placed in what we feel is ideal habitat for this bird. Fingers crossed!!!

                                                   Pied Flycatcher using one of our boxes in 2008