Post by matt on Mar 17, 2021 13:20:50 GMT
It's frustrating, Pete, and I've been there myself for the past two years! It is especially annoying when you see your resident bluetit carrying nesting material somewhere else, but the fact is that each male covers quite a large area (in urban garden terms), and lots of people put up nest boxes these days. I'm pretty sure my local male covers at least 5-10 gardens around me, and I caught him using a nestbox in my opposite neighbour's garden last year 
The question about how to improve your chances is one we ask ourselves on here a lot. I spent a bit of time researching (as best I could) after my latest disappointment last year, and there are actually some research papers on this exact topic - and specific to bluetits, as well. Although I think box location is probably the biggest single factor, there was a study I read that compared a few designs on nest box spread out in a woods. The upshot of that was that, all else being equal (it rarely is), bluetits prefer prefer a light box (window or lights), a slightly deeper box than RSPB recommends (I think it was 19cm from the hole vs 12cm), and prefer woodcrete (a kind of wood concrete) over wood. Putting more boxes up doesn't help, and might even make matters worse (bluetits were more likely to avoid a box with others nearby, even if they were empty - potential competition?).
I have followed most of that advice for this year (fewer boxes, concrete, deeper), but since I don't have a nest yet either (yet!) I can't say that it has worked. Your other option is to target other species as well - e.g. sparrows and starlings, which will nest in boxes (sometimes), and also nest in boxes near other sparrows/starlings (unlike bluetits). I have tried that this year, and have had some interest from both sparrows and starlings, but no nest yet.
Having said all that, probably the most effective way to make sure that your box is used would be to remove all of your neighbours' nest boxes within a 100 yard radius of your garden
Oh - and be lucky!
Don't give up on this year though - you might get another female belonging to the same male, or a late nest, as Pete says.
The question about how to improve your chances is one we ask ourselves on here a lot. I spent a bit of time researching (as best I could) after my latest disappointment last year, and there are actually some research papers on this exact topic - and specific to bluetits, as well. Although I think box location is probably the biggest single factor, there was a study I read that compared a few designs on nest box spread out in a woods. The upshot of that was that, all else being equal (it rarely is), bluetits prefer prefer a light box (window or lights), a slightly deeper box than RSPB recommends (I think it was 19cm from the hole vs 12cm), and prefer woodcrete (a kind of wood concrete) over wood. Putting more boxes up doesn't help, and might even make matters worse (bluetits were more likely to avoid a box with others nearby, even if they were empty - potential competition?).
I have followed most of that advice for this year (fewer boxes, concrete, deeper), but since I don't have a nest yet either (yet!) I can't say that it has worked. Your other option is to target other species as well - e.g. sparrows and starlings, which will nest in boxes (sometimes), and also nest in boxes near other sparrows/starlings (unlike bluetits). I have tried that this year, and have had some interest from both sparrows and starlings, but no nest yet.
Having said all that, probably the most effective way to make sure that your box is used would be to remove all of your neighbours' nest boxes within a 100 yard radius of your garden
Oh - and be lucky!Don't give up on this year though - you might get another female belonging to the same male, or a late nest, as Pete says.