Post by matt on Apr 8, 2020 13:00:27 GMT
I feel it too, Karen. I think the issue more than anything is that so many people now have nest boxes. I know RSPB and others were trying to get us to do it for ages, because there was a shortage of good nesting spots, but it now it seems that just about every garden has at least one box. As Paul says, a bluetit's range can be quite large in terms of gardens, so there just aren't enough birds to go around 
I still have concerns about lights in boxes, to be honest. I do wonder if, given the choice, birds prefer a darker box? If there aren't any other choices then they obviously will nest in a box with lights, but my record is: year 1: 1 box, no lights, 1 nest, year 2: 3 boxes, all with lights, no nest, year 3: 5 boxes, all with lights, no nest. Not conclusive of course, and it could still happen this year, but next year I am going to leave the lights off in 2-3 of my boxes just to see if they prefer them. Has anyone on this forum had boxes with/without lights at the same time? If so, did birds prefer one over the other?
I still have concerns about lights in boxes, to be honest. I do wonder if, given the choice, birds prefer a darker box? If there aren't any other choices then they obviously will nest in a box with lights, but my record is: year 1: 1 box, no lights, 1 nest, year 2: 3 boxes, all with lights, no nest, year 3: 5 boxes, all with lights, no nest. Not conclusive of course, and it could still happen this year, but next year I am going to leave the lights off in 2-3 of my boxes just to see if they prefer them. Has anyone on this forum had boxes with/without lights at the same time? If so, did birds prefer one over the other?