National Nest Box Week 2025

Every February, National Nest Box Week celebrates supporting our local wildlife with small actions that can make a big difference. Find out how you can help in this blog.

Many birds are in need for a safe place to nest. Natural nesting sites include nooks and crannies in trees, standing deadwood, hedgerows and gaps in buildings. But there are fewer choices to nest due to, garden management becoming neater, holes in old buildings being filled up, and loss of habitat among many other reasons.

An alternative and popular option for garden birds are nest boxes. When placed in the right place, these provide a secure and safe nesting site for birds.

Every year National Nest Box Week highlights the importance of nest boxes for local wildlife and gardens are a great place to start.

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) reckons that if all the gardens in Britain were rolled up into one giant plot, it would be a huge area bigger than Suffolk.

National Nest Box Week

BUT you don't have to have a garden to help garden and hedgerow birds, small things like putting out a window sill bird feeder, putting nest boxes up in community spaces or on the side of your home, encouraging friends and family to learn more about how they can help local bird species are great ways to have an impact.

How to celebrate National Nest Box Week

Running for a week every year from the 14th of February, there are many things you can do to celebrate National Nest Box Week and take action for wildlife in your area.

Build a nest box

Nest boxes come in all shapes and sizes with different types appealing to different birds. Small hole nest boxes are great for garden birds including blue tits, great tits and house sparrows. Robins and wrens prefer a wider entrance for nesting.

You can follow simple steps to make a nest box out of new or recycled wood.

Feed your garden birds

Additional food for birds in your garden or outdoor space can be a life-saver in the winter after the autumn glut of fruit has fallen and less insects are flying.

Make sure not to put food too close to nest boxes, as continuous movement from birds around the box may prevent breeding. A mix of seeds, fruit (like apples), and fats are great options to feed garden birds. Place your feeders in a good viewing site for hours of entertainment watching the birds feed and interact.

How to make a bird feeder activity sheet

Join us at one of our events

During February we have lots of events to celebrate National Nest Box Week that we would love to see you at!

Learn about the magical life of house martins, their ecology and nests, online with our Wildlife Live webinar. Or join us in Ipswich or Foxburrow Nature Reserve to build your own nest box with us.

Or, couples, join us for our valentines special at Foxburrow to make a nest box and explore the reserve after dark!

Explore all of our events

Blue Tit Amy Lewis

long-tailed tit on feeder

A blue tit standing on the side of a nest box with a caterpillar in its mouth

Helpful tips:

How to build a nest box: Join us at a nest box building event or build your own at home with our how to guide.

How to build a nest box guide

How to install a nest box: Different birds will prefer different sized holes on nest boxes and different placements throughout your garden.

Where to install a nest box (scroll to the drop-down sections at the bottom of the page)

Tips for cleaning your nest box: Cleaning of nest boxes should take place outside of nesting season which begins in February. The best time to give your nest boxes a good clear out is October-November. Boiling water is effective in removing any potentially harmful bacteria for the birds.

Click here for a full guide on how to clean your nest boxes.

Guide to garden birds: Do you know a sparrow from a martin? Discover some of the most commonly seen garden birds in this handy guide and find out more about the birds you might see amongst gardens and hedgerows.
Garden birds guide

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