Handykam.com

Saturday 12 February 2011

Choosing a particular bird for your camera bird box.

We are often asked how we can attract certain birds to our camera bird boxes. It really depends on what birds are in your garden, what birds are dominant and the type of bird box you have.


A great way is place a multispecies camera bird box in your garden. A handykam.com bird box is perfect as it can be used for most types of our native birds. It has been specifically designed with bird comfort in mind and to all the recommended specifications by the RSPB and BTO.

Bird box entrance hole


The key points are to place the box a little bit away from a feeder or feeding station, but with a bit of cover from foliage.  The next key point is to choose whether to have a round entrance hole or open front. Most boxes have a 35mm entrance hole and some camera bird boxes have the ability to remove the middle panel to allow open fronted nesting birds like Wren, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Blackbird, Spotted flycatcher.

hole sizers

With an entrance hole, you have the choice of using a hole sizer or hole protector to help discriminate between certain types of birds. These are metal plates with hole, which can be easily pinned to the entrance hole of the box.  The plates have different sizes that can allow certain bird types to enter the boxes. Here is a guide:

  • Blue tit, Marsh tit, Coal tit – 25mm (1in)
  • Great tit, Tree sparrow, - 28mm (1 1/4in)
  • Nuthatch, House sparrow, Nuthatch – 32mm (1 1/2in)
Choose a hole sizer to match birds you have in your garden and ones you would like to see nesting.

Once sited, leave you camera nest box and keep an eye on it on your TV. Don’t despair if it is not occupied quickly. Most birds take a while to get used to boxes in their territory.

Have fun and enjoy your camera bird box.

More info
Buy a camera bird box
More info about bird boxes from the RSPB – Click here
Build a camera bird box from the BTO – Click here
Keywords to help search
Bird boxes, bird box hole, nest box hole, nest box hole, hole sizers, correct bird box hole, nest box holes, choose hole size, which hole size.