If you hang a nesting box in the garden, you want to make it as comfortable as possible for the animals. Many bird lovers come up with the idea of filling the nesting box so that the nesting guest can sit down in the nest they have made, so to speak. But does that really make sense? And if so, which material is suitable for filling a nesting box?
What should you fill a nesting box with?
It is not necessary to fill a nesting box in the garden as birds prefer to build their own nests. To make nest building easier, you can provide the animals with soft hay. Unsuitable materials are sawdust and straw.
Fill the nesting box?
Even if you mean well, it is usually not necessary to have a nesting box ready for use. The birds prefer to build their own nests. They usually find the necessary material in the garden. If you still want to give the animals something to help them work, you can provide some hay or put it in the birdhouse straight away. The guests are happy to accept the soft surface. However,are unsuitable for filling a nesting box.
- Sawdust
- and straw
Keep minutes
If you want to make it easier for birds to build nests, we recommend observing the different species and documenting their occurrence. This will make it easier for you to adapt the material provided in the coming year.
Identify bird species by nesting material
Did you know that the material the nest is made of provides information about the type of bird breeding? Here are two examples:
Tits:
- soft material like hay
- often animal hair
Nuthatch:
- Tree bark
- dry leaves
Time of cleaning
Although you don't necessarily have to fill your nesting box, cleaning it is important to prevent parasites from spreading in the birdhouse. In addition, boxes that already contain nests are not accepted by new birds. It is best to remove the nests in late summer or early spring, on the one hand not to disturb the breeding and on the other hand to offer the animals an opportunity to overwinter. You can simply dispose of the old nest in the compost or use it as a decoration.
