Nesting boxes

An important event was held on the 9th of February when new nest boxes were installed in trees in the Natural Park of La Mata.  These nest boxes are intended to encourage the Great Tit to nest and breed in the future.  These little birds like to eat the grubs of processionary caterpillars which are such a danger to animals and humans alike.  This year they have started moving early and their nests can be seen in the pine trees. They look like a loose ball of cotton wool. When they come down from the trees they line up nose to tail and process, hence the name.  A small group of the Volunteers of La Mata has been busy renovating old nest boxes and making new ones which were ready to be installed.  A crowd of 14 of the volunteers followed the Park employees into the woods where the nest boxes had to be hung in a specific way.  First of all they had to be quite high up.  Secondly surrounding branches had to be cut away so that rats cannot get into the nest boxes.  To further stop rats gnawing away the wood round the small opening where the birds will enter, a metal plate has been fixed.

The Volunteers will have the task of monitoring the success of this project and GPS positions have been noted so as to locate them all.  A most successful project; now we await the birds.

Thanks to Jenny Dodd for the article and photos