Nest Box auditing

Apologies for the lateness of this blog post, yesterday was spent haring from place to place in Jenny's car checking nest boxes across nearby MoD ranges.

We found a range of different issues with the boxes we saw, with the vast majority still in good health. We managed to visit Andrew Markham Wood, Badger Beck, High Insque, Hudswell Grange, Primrose Gill, Stop Bridge Lane and High Spring Wood, all in one day.

A couple of boxes were brought back to Foxglove for repair, with a few more to be revisited and fixed in situ. 

A common problem is to find nest boxes like the one above at Andrew Markham Wood, and below found at Hudswell Grange, where the entrance hole has been widened.

The culprit of such wanton vandalism is likely to have been a squirrel or woodpecker; thankfully the solution is a simple one.

As these nest boxes are still in working order we will attach a new board over the enlarged hole with a newly drilled opening protected by a metal plate.