I'm not sure how dangerous it can be to be honest Vic, but old nest material harbours Lice, Mites, Fleas, dust, dried excrement ( if not discarded by the parent), general grime, etc and on top of that it can become brittle and flimsy so can quite easily break up producing dust that you really don't want to get a gobful of! Rather than Lung Disease, I would've said the masks are precautionary measures so as not to trigger off Asthma, or other conditions or allergies! Cheers Rob
I read an article about cleaning out nest boxes some time ago. They advised that when cleaning out nest boxes you should wear some kind of facial covering. Old nests can often contain fungi of various kinds. Seemingly there have been cases where fungal spores have entered the lungs of people cleaning nest boxes and caused lung disease. I saw nest boxes being cleaned at a Pied Flycatcher nesting site fairly recently and everyone was wearing masks like you see on telly, when they are showing smog bound places like Bejing.
I suppose my input below wasn't meant to say whether it was the correct thing to do or not, but was merely what I think is the correct thing to do based upon what I've been used to growing up. Dad used to do it and from what I saw over all those years, it was most beneficial to the birds, especially taking into account the fact that besides the odd loss of a chick, an egg, or indeed a clutch or brood...for the most part the birds in our garden have been successful, and I firmly believe that helping them out this way has certainly played a part in that. ...and judging by the excerpt that Ian has posted from the RSPB website, it looks as though they agree. Cheers Rob
Good info below - further info which may be more up-to-date was on springwatch today - somewhere between 5-10 minutes into the show. I only caught the end of the bit about nestboxes so don't know what they said but they're usually up-to-date and accurate with info such as this. If you missed it it will be on bbc iplayer.
I've had blue tits nest in my rspb bird box for the last 6 years and have only ever cleaned it out once, when it was took over by white tailed bumblebees. To be honest if the bumblebee's wouldn't have moved in i would never of cleaned it out, wouldn't of even crossed my mind to clean it out. Are you supposed to clean them out? Cause I've really never heard of cleaning nest boxes.
In these instances it's often best to go to the experts on these things (and I'm certainly not one!) so the following is taken from the RSPB's website:
The nests of most birds harbour fleas and other parasites, which remain to infest young birds that hatch the following year. We recommend that old nests be removed in the autumn, from August onwards once the birds have stopped using the box.
Maintaining your box:Use boiling water to kill any remaining parasites, and let the box dry out thoroughly before replacing the lid. Insecticides and flea powders must not be used.
Unhatched eggs in the box, can only be removed legally between August and January - and must then be disposed of.
If you place a small handful of clean hay or wood shavings (not straw) in the box once it is thoroughly dry after cleaning, small mammals may hibernate there, or birds may use it as a roost site.
It is quite normal for a few eggs to fail to hatch, or for some young to die. Blue and great tits lay up to 14 eggs to allow for such losses. Cold weather and food shortage may lead to nest desertion, or to only the strongest young surviving. The death of one parent or interference from animals or humans may also cause desertion.
A slightly different question: what if the blue tits made the nest but then seemingly abandoned it (a few weeks since I've seen them visiting the box). Is it likely they will return and use it, or would the presence of old / other birds' nesting material deter future potential inhabitants from using it?
It's just this point Chris, what is best to make the box more attractive immediately to any bird that may want to use it?
...good point but if I was moving into a new house I wouldn't want to gut it and move all the used rubbish out and then redecorate it from scratch, would you? Also the used nest material can sometimes attract mites etc, and the eggs and chicks if left from previous cycle will be rotting and smelly so I guess wouldn't be as appealing as a fresher cleaner box.
A slightly different question: what if the blue tits made the nest but then seemingly abandoned it (a few weeks since I've seen them visiting the box). Is it likely they will return and use it, or would the presence of old / other birds' nesting material deter future potential inhabitants from using it?
It's just this point Chris, what is best to make the box more attractive immediately to any bird that may want to use it?
I've never even considered cleaning them out. I just assumed the next inhabitant did that itself. We had Nuthatches in our box last year and this year we've had Blue Tits. As far as I'm aware, no-one has touched it. What are the cons of leaving it for the next inhabitants to clean? I would have thought that would be the first thing they did to a naturally occurring prospective nesting site? I see the pros to cleaning it though, I suppose it leaves one less job for the nestees to do.
A slightly different question: what if the blue tits made the nest but then seemingly abandoned it (a few weeks since I've seen them visiting the box). Is it likely they will return and use it, or would the presence of old / other birds' nesting material deter future potential inhabitants from using it?
If you've got dead chicks I would clean it out now.
What an interesting point to bring up, and I would certainly agree with Steve on this Paul, clean it out. We've been quite successful with both Blue and Great Tits in our garden over the years as far as I can remember since being a toddler, I'm now 42. We've had Blue Tits in the kitchen wall box, and Blue Tits and Great Tits next to each other on the back fence boxes 30yds away, all occupied at same time, and I remember Dad would clean the boxes out... 1) at the end of the season when they'd fledged, 2) if the parents deserted the brood, 3) if the adult birds deserted the clutch,
We would watch mainly the Blue Tits for days back and forth feeding the brood, but the odd time all the action stopped without anything leaving the box and after a while we knew the parents had deserted the brood. I remember him saying come and help me clean the box out, and unfortunately there were dead chicks and the odd unhatched egg in the box. But even after a main brood had successfully fledged, there has still been an under developed (or less developed) dead chick to remove from the box, and I think that is probably a normal occurrence.
But one thing I must say Paul, you said Blue Tits are '1 clutch birds' well that is a general rule but although rare, they can infact have a 2nd clutch. I'm unsure of the year, I'd estimate mid 90's our Blue Tits deserted their clutch and obviously cold eggs were removed when we were sure they'd left. Within a short space of time of the box being cleaned, interest was shown again and another clutch of eggs was laid, BUT...the facts suggest, and probability too, that it was more than likely a different breeding pair that had laid their only clutch.
But certainly in my experience of Blue Tits and how successful they've been in our garden, and the fact Dad did it annually, I would say that cleaning the box out is a good idea Paul.
(Oh yeah and when I say OUR Blue Tits, I mean the ones that are in the box at that time, obviously a short lifespan of around 2 years means that it's not the same birds over and over again).
Hi Steve I've already read this but it doesn't seem clear wether you should clean out any unhatched eggs or dead chicks or just leave it well alone. I think it's probably best to inspect and clean out if there are any but I'll leave it till I get a definitive answer. Thanks
-- Edited by Paul Coupe on Wednesday 28th of May 2014 10:27:06 AM
We mounted a nest box with a camera in it this year and 5 Blue Tits have just fledged. As they're 1 clutch birds should we now clean out the box to leave it empty for other species or leave it till Autumn?
Paul I cut off all the lower branches below 2m on a large Conifer in my garden and then put a tit nesting box at a height of 3m inside the remaining foliage. The Coal tits used to pick up a seed from my bird table and then fly up into the conifer so they could feed out of sight. They found the nest box and began to stockpile various seeds and nuts in it at first. A pair then built a nest but sadly all the chicks died due to the cold and damp weather last Spring.
Thanks Bill and Rory for your tips. I have quite a large garden surrounded by coniferous trees. Think I will build a few boxes and place them a different heights. Experiment time, cant hurt can it
Think my first post went in the wrong column...oppps
-- Edited by Paul Pennington on Tuesday 5th of February 2013 07:52:10 PM
I certainly can't claim to be an expert on Coal Tit nests but I love questions like these as it makes me look up and learn a bit more about species such as Coal Tit. I have been fortunate to find quite a few Coal Tit nests in recent years during our recent breeding birds' atlas projects but I personally have never come across a pair using a nest box. Most of the nests that I have found have been in natural cavities, at or close to ground level and some have even been subterranean nests. I have also found quite a few in small holes in stone walls again at fairly low level. I generally refer to two reference sources when looking up info on nests and one suggests however that these types of nests are possibly over-stated as being typical of Coal Tit nests, primarily because they are the easiest to find.
However, both reference sources do offer you some encouragement and suggest that Coal Tits will use nest boxes - one stating that it "freely uses nest boxes up to c.5m above ground in coniferous woodland". So definitely some hope for you there! Unfortunately, unless you live in the middle of a pine plantation you might be out of luck! It is also suggested that as Coal Tit is the smallest of our hole nesting tits then it is well down the pecking order behind Great and Blue and hence the real prime and most ideal boxes and any higher natural nesting holes may well be taken up by these two species first. Not sure if you have a garden but if you do and have a suitable large coniferous tree in it, then putting the box on this might be the best option (provided it's not too hidden for them to find)...although it may then probably not be the easiest then for you to observe! Where to site it? One of the reference sources stated that in experiments with artificial holes at 0, 3, 6 and 9m above ground then Coal Tits showed a preference for those at 9m. This reference source and the mention of 9m does slightly contradict the other reference source which mentions up to 5m....but since when did scientists ever agree on anything! However, it did also reinforce the impression that this species was forced to lower level nests because of competition with larger species for these higher holes. Possibly these higher holes are safer and more likely to be successful due to lower predation levels?
So Paul, in summary the riddle appears to be - site your nest box somewhere attractive to tits and it is likely to get taken by one of the larger species and with the Coal Tits having to make do with a mouse hole in the ground or placing it somewhere less attractive and probably getting nothing using it at all! Good luck in solving that one!
If you can't attract them to breed in your garden, then it is likely they will be looking to nest somewhere nearby and then you at least have the challenge and thrill of trying to find out exactly where they are breeding. Hopefully, some of the other forum members have experience of and info on Coal Tits actually using nest boxes and can give you a bit more useful info than my waffle has!
Coal tits like to nest fairly low down, and are not regular users of nest boxes (from my own experience), but having a nest box low down makes easy pickings for cats, I suppose you could try a small length of tubing on the entrance hole?
Blue tits have been inspecting my bird box over the past few mornings.
This is the nest boxes second year. Last year the blue tits occupied, and had 7/8 eggs. Two of the eggs didn't hatch. All the surviving chicks fledged.
Also I have a pair of resident Coal Tit's which I'm going to build a box for in the hope of encouraging them to breed. Although I have read a little about Coal Tit's, I was hoping some of the knowledgable forum readers could pass on some tips or advice.
It is also suggested that as Coal Tit is the smallest of our hole nesting tits then it is well down the pecking order behind Great and Blue and hence the real prime and most ideal boxes and any higher natural nesting holes may well be taken up by these two species first. Not sure if you have a garden but if you do and have a suitable large coniferous tree in it, then putting the box on this might be the best option (provided it's not too hidden for them to find)...although it may then probably not be the easiest then for you to observe! Where to site it? One of the reference sources stated that in experiments with artificial holes at 0, 3, 6 and 9m above ground then Coal Tits showed a preference for those at 9m. This reference source and the mention of 9m does slightly contradict the other reference source which mentions up to 5m....but since when did scientists ever agree on anything!
or placing it somewhere less attractive and probably getting nothing using it at all! Good luck in solving that one!