How to Make a Bird Box -in 10 Easy Steps

For me, my garden and nature are very closely intertwined. I simply can’t have one without the other – and wouldn’t want to. That’s why, to me, the making of bee hotels and creation of log piles for insects are as important ‘gardening jobs’ like planting bulbs or pruning roses. And as I look out on a snow covered garden this morning, looking after the birds seems even more important than ever. So it’s very timely that I’m sharing a blog on how to make a bird box.

Mr F-W has devised this technique that uses materials which are readily to hand, making it an ideal job for these COVID times. You will find it a wonderful, positive and satisfying lockdown thing to do (perhaps with your kids if you have them). After all, who doesn’t want more birds in the garden?

The Joy of Bird Boxes

We have a lot of different bird boxes in the garden. All made by Mr F-W (he’s so clever).

There’s a Hole in the Roof

We have a little copse at the bottom of our garden and over the years have put various bird boxes up in it. Well, last season we noticed that one of them was looking dodgy; the jackdaws and starlings which had merrily nested in it over the years had pecked away at its roof. It was now open to the elements.

To be fair, the box was 12 years old and had served its purpose well. It had enjoyed many seasons of occupation and we’d even seen the occasional little owl sitting on it but sadly they never took up residence.

Anyway, it stuttered on last year, hosting a brood of jackdaws who cheekily (and noisily) entered and exited through the hole in the roof! But we felt it was only a matter of time before the elements would make the box completely unusable – as the bottom was now falling out too!

So Mr F-W decided to sort out a replacement. That’s why this blog is focused on how to make a bird box for larger birds. It’s a design which in the past has attracted jackdaws, doves and starlings.

These may not be as cute as blue-tits but starling populations have dramatically dropped by about two-thirds since the 1970s according to the RSPB! So making a bird box for them is well worth doing. And the good news is they readily take to new nest boxes. What’s more, now is the perfect time to make one. You can put up a starling box whenever you like, but early spring is ideal – ready for the nesting season, which starts in April.

OK, so without further ado, here’s how we make ours.

How to Make A Bird Box – The Design

Mr F-W’s design uses limited materials. So if you are following this method, you won’t need to buy an elaborate list of things.

The design uses a length of what I’m told is ‘Fencing Gravel Board’ which was exactly what the old bird box was made of (Mr F-W made that one too all those years ago). 

The size of this timber means our box is slightly smaller than a design you can find on the RSPB’s website. But since our size of box has worked brilliantly for the last twelve years, we think that’s a good enough endorsement for the design!

Materials List

The materials you will need are:

• Timber  – fence gravel board, rough sawn – 6 inch x 1 inch (in old money) –  150mm x 22mm to be exact
• Screws for the main body (5mm wide x 60mm long is about right)
• Thinner screws for use on the sides next to the opening (4mm wide x 50mm long)

The timber is easily easily available and you can buy a bit as a 2.4m length which as you can see from Mr F-W’s plan below is more than enough.

If you need to buy things in, the bird box should cost under £10 or less if you already have the screws!

How to Make a Bird Box – in Pictures

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If you stop at this point you have a brilliant bird box. However, Mr F-W doesn’t do things by halves! He has two very ugly sheds in our garden and they are absolutely brimming with stuff. All useful according to him – a lot of junk according to me!

Well, I was made to eat these words as in these Aladdin’s caves he found a thin sheet of lead. (What church roof has he been on? Only joking folks!) So, for additional protection/weatherproofing, he added a little lead roof to our box. You really really don’t need to do this, but I’m sharing the pictures below so you can see how he did it!

How to Make a Bird Box – the Deluxe Version

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Time To Go Up

According to the RSPB your nestbox will need to be under the eaves of your house or, like ours, on a mature tree. Of course, make sure you have permission before erecting any box on a property.

Height-wise, the experts say it should be at least 3m (10 feet) off the ground and facing somewhere between north and east. In essence you don’t want it getting too hot or wet. You don’t want the box in direct sunlight, and ideally don’t position it over a doorway, window or well-used path, as this will disturb the birds so they won’t take to it.

That’s it! In our experience this bird box will suit jackdaws, starlings and possibly doves. You may get lucky and attract a little owl too. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for that one.

Happy bird box making!

For more advice on looking after the birds in your garden, you may like this previous blog.