Getting broody at the country park

Rangers at Moors Valley County Park near Ringwood are busy checking their nesting boxes to make sure they are in good order for this year’s broods.

There are over 50 nest boxes at the park and regular residents include blue tits, nuthatches, robins and kestrels. This year the boxes will play a vital role as the birds try to reestablish their numbers following the long, cold winter.
 
“Across the country just 10% of blue tits are expected to survive this winter,” said Austin Weldon, Assistant Countryside Ranger, Moors Valley Country Park. “But the species can recover if we help them. Blue tits are remarkably hardy. The species loses 78% of its numbers every winter, so whilst this year has not got off to a good start for them, if we can help with nest boxes and food they should be able to replenish their numbers fairly quickly.”
 
The blue tit, Cyanistes caerulus, is one of 60 species known to use nest boxes in this country.  And the wildlife experts at Moors Valley are hoping that National Nest Box Week, which ends on 21 February, will encourage lots of people to put up a nest box in their gardens.
 
Visitors to Moors Valley this spring will be in for a treat.  They will be able to see right inside some nest boxes without disturbing the birds.  The rangers will be setting up remote cameras so visitors can view the hatching and feeding, right up to first flight,from the comfort of the Visitor Centre.
 
“The birds are just beginning the building process now,” said Countryside Interpretation Ranger, Katie Davies. “It is a good time to spot them darting about with bits of twig and other nesting material. By the beginning of March the webcams will be in place and we will be able to see how well they made their nests and start our very own egg watch.”
 
Moors Valley Country Park opens every day. For more information call 01425 470721 or visit www.moors-valley.co.uk.
 
More information on National Nest Box Week can be found at www.bto.org/nnbw/index.htm