Build Your Own Nest Box at Home for Native Wildlife

Build and install your own nest box at home to support local wildlife.

A great educational and fun activity to do with the kids at home, installing a nest box in your garden can help our native animals to find a safe place to rely on. With fewer natural tree hollows around due to a continuous loss of old trees in our suburbs, it is becoming harder for birds and other wildlife to find natural homes.

Did you know almost 350 Australian wildlife species rely on tree hollows to breed and survive? These hollows can take over 100 years to form naturally, and with habitat loss on the rise, artificial hollows are more important than ever.  Australia has the most hollow-dependent wildlife in the world and you can help your local native wildlife by installing a nest box in your garden for them to live in.

You can make a nesting box from scratch, buy a flat pack to assemble or purchase one already constructed.  Kids can then get creative and paint the outside in their favourite colours, such as the ones pictured here along the River Torrens Linear Trail decorated by local primary school students.

By building and installing a bird box at home, kids will feel proud they’re helping to provide much-needed shelter for birds to rest, breed, and raise their young, and taking real action for conservation.  Common species are likely to be the quickest to take up residence in these new homes. Threatened species may take longer, however supporting wildlife is particularly rewarding, and of great benefit to the environment.

CONSTRUCTION TIPS:

• Use untreated wood if buying or using your own materials.
• There are different requirements for things like height, width and the size of the entrance hole for each species, so check the chart from Green Adelaide (adapted from Faunature) as a guide.
• Boxes for some species may require features such as drainage to avoid drowning.
• Sacrificial chewing posts, and ladders for exit and entry may be needed before installing.
• Use a safe, non toxic varnish coating on the outside to protect from the weather.

GREEN ADELAIDE BIRD BOX GUIDE

RESOURCES:

• SA Environment website
• Get in touch with your local council
• FauNature – various wildlife boxes (assembled and flat packed) and additional hardware
• Petbarn and Petstock both sell small wooden bird nest boxes perfect for painting

INSTALLATION TIPS:

• Install your nesting box at least 4 metres high to avoid threats from dogs, cats, rats and foxes. Just make sure you can easily access the box to maintain it.
• Make sure the box entrance faces away from the harsh afternoon sun and is placed to avoid strong winds.
• Planting a native garden can attract native wildlife and encourage them to use the nest boxes.

DIY NEST BOX GUIDES:

• Backyard Buddies, an education initiative of the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife, has a measurement guide – DIY BUILD A NEST BOX GUIDE
• Bunnings Warehouse – How to make a DIY bird nest box at home – LIST OF MATERIALS AND VIDEO GUIDE
• Zoos SA has a helpful instruction video you can watch below:

JOIN THE AUSSIE BACKYARD BIRD COUNT

For more information and all enquiries please visit the SA Environment website.

At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.

Image Source:  photos by Play & Go

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