Environmental Planning & The Environment

Ecologists

At Bird Brick Houses, the team share your passion for nature – the company founders Duncan and Jenny are licenced barn owl ringers and have been monitoring Tyto Alba in East Sussex for many years. We are accumulating a considerable amount of bird data and expertise from our bird and bat boxes which we monitor.

The most common ecologists’ queries are covered below.

• What is the likely take up rate of boxes once installed?

Results from boxes we have fitted indicate a 75% take up rate (i.e. a nest or roost site) within the first 12 months. We are delighted to say that to date, 100% of boxes used for nesting have been used again the following year.

• I need to recommend a solution for housing bats and need more information.

The bat box has an angled internal floor so that droppings fall out of the entrance slot. The back of each box is lined with wood; in front of this sits a removable, untreated sawn timber baffle board dividing the main area into two for extra roosting space. Bat boxes are normally supplied with a non-removable front, due to the licensing position concerning access. We can however supply them with a removable front if specified.

• What is the range of bird species that will use your nesting boxes?

House sparrows, tit species, wagtails, flycatchers, black redstarts and starlings will all use the standard box; the aperture size is modified dictating which of the above are likely to be attracted.

The swift nest box is modified with an arch shaped entrance aperture; a shallow internal cup assists and accelerates nest construction. A sparrow nest box is constructed as a terrace, with two  separate compartments, each with its own entrance.

• How durable are your boxes?

The body is made from recycled polypropylene – an extremely tough and durable material used in construction for cavity trays and damp proof courses. This means the box lets in minimal amounts of moisture in adverse weather conditions making it such a highly desirable dry winter roost.  As the plastic will be exposed to virtually no sunlight (if any), degradation is effectively eliminated. As a result the boxes are expected to last for the lifetime of the building in which they are housed – an important feature in terms of environmental planning.

Should your question not be covered here, please contact us.