[Bodger]

I've been dragged around a few garden centres in my time I can tell you. :oops:  :oops:  :oops:  

In recent years I have been pleased to see the huge array of items that these outlets now sell to encourage wildlife into peoples gardens. This includes bird nesting boxes, hedgehog hotels, lady bird mansions and so on. The most amazing thing about the products, is first of all how easy they would be to make at home and secondly how huge the price tag attached to them is.
I'm going to start and make some of these at home. Its dead easy, all you need to do is to have a look at the items in the garden centres and then make a rough copy.

I'm going to use this thread as a bit of self motivation. It would be nice if a few other people joined in the exercise and then we could swop notes on what we make, how we make it and then what results we get from our efforts.
It would be nice if in the spring we could see a few pictures of full nest boxes and the like.

Whose up for it then ?

[Selkie]

I made a nest box this year but we had a colony of wasps living in it instead; they've all died off now so I'm going to clean out the box and put it back up.

[DD.]

I made a nest box this year but we had a colony of wasps living in it instead; they've all died off now so I'm going to clean out the box and put it back up.

We had that as well with the bird box on the bird table.

[Selkie]

Glad I wasn't the only one

(I don't know why they put a birdbox in the roof of birdtables - ours has one too and I have never seen a bird go in/out of it)

[splodger]

i've just started to do some designs for me and my dad to work on - using odd bits of chestnut from the wood he has

the designs so far are for bird boxes, bat houses, bird feeders, border feeders - as well as fencing, arbours, hurdles etc

it does help to have an unlimited supply of materials at hand - but i'm sure the designs would work for many materials and can be altered slightly to suit each individual

i'll gladly scan some designs - if peeps are interested - but only after i've showed dad - as he is the master builder  

[Bodger]

Wasps still count as wildlife and believe it or not, but wasps are under considerable pressure in some areas, so I'd count that as a success.


My MIL bought me a bat box for Christmas a few years ago. I have a sneaking feeling that she expected me to live in it ( The old bat !) But I have a mind to take it carefully to pieces, get all the measurements and post them so other people can make them. Famous last words but it looked simple enough to construct.

Cut down roofing slates make splendid roofs for all types of bird and insect boxes.

[Selkie]

Splodge, what a border feeder (sorry if that's a dumb question)

[splodger]

Splodge, what a border feeder (sorry if that's a dumb question)

a decorative / sculptural bird table / feeder / bath - on a shorter pole - to be positioned in your flower borders etc

i make flower supports from chestnut tops - and i thought a few border feeders mixed amongst the borders would work well

i'll post some pictures - when i've got round to making some  :roll:

[WG.]

i'll gladly scan some designs - if peeps are interested - but only after i've showed dad - as he is the master builder  

Interested (but not if it might spoil your Dad's market for them )

[Selkie]

Thanks for the explanation, I understand now!

[splodger]

i'll gladly scan some designs - if peeps are interested - but only after i've showed dad - as he is the master builder  

Interested (but not if it might spoil your Dad's market for them )

i expect i'll be responsible for the marketing -        and i don't suppose we'll sell that many - but i hope to do a few shows for him - i am not inspired by money - that's why i don't have any  :roll:

i do it for fun - and dad sells the chestnut in lengths mainly -or logs - so he has his market really

it's just a way to use up the scraps really - because it's there

[Selkie]

I think you could end up selling loads, one of the handymen at my previous workplace made nestboxes/birdtables etc from scraps of wood and he had a waiting list of customers!!

[WG.]

Might be worth seeing which edible fungi would grow in chestnut logs, splodger?  You could market the fungi, the impregnated logs, or both.

[Rampant_Weasel]

Glad I wasn't the only one

(I don't know why they put a birdbox in the roof of birdtables - ours has one too and I have never seen a bird go in/out of it)

apparently the bird table is the last place to put a box because its too noisy for the young family - thats advice from bill oddie btw

[Selkie]

Exactly!! So why do they put one on there then? I think it's just because it's meant to look rustic or something :?