Build a Nest Box

One way to increase habitat value, following the loss of millions of trees in Australia to land clearing, is to install nest boxes, which significantly benefit wildlife in areas of human habitation. Hollows can take fungus and termites in excess of 100 years to create.

When building a nest box consider that different species prefer different sized entry holes, box sizes and heights from ground. Timber should be 3cm thick, which regulates internal temperatures, with a grooved roof to avoid slipping. Mesh can be installed inside from the floor to the hole to prevent animals being trapped.

Hang nest boxes high from in a tree using wire strung through a piece of hose to minimise tree damage. The entrance should face away from prevailing seasonal weather.

The diagram shows a Pardalote nest box, a bird that lives in tree crowns in eucalypt forests and woodlands. Pardalotes have short tails, strong legs and stout blunt bills, with loud repetitive voices, with double and triple notes. Their nests are cup-like, in tree hollows or holes dug into earth banks.

Pardalotes are very responsive to nesting boxes during their breeding season, making ideal companions to have around the house, reducing the number of plant eating insects in your garden.

A nest box for Pardalotes includes a pipe entrance with a perching branch. Sawdust can be placed in the bottom of the box with 5mm-drainage holes in the base.

For more information to the The Nestbox Book, Gould League of Victoria Inc.