Nest boxes make life easier for birds that build nests in increasingly rare hollows, and they can bring biodiversity to our garden, but they also allow us to observe bird life. Moreover, it’s known that birds in the garden are extremely useful and help to fight pests. IRCEF experts are engaged in the building and installation of such nest structures throughout the year, so birds have a place to settle in gardens, forests, and parks in spring.
A nest box for birds should be made following a number of rules, for example, it should be made of unplaned wood, preferably pine or other coniferous wood – boards should be about 2-3 cm thick. Waterproof plywood or waterproof OSB boards are also suitable for their construction. However, you cannot use ordinary plywood or chipboard, as this can lead to a “construction disaster”. A piece of roofing material or plastic can be used to cover the roof. The roof can be single-sloped or double-sloped.
Bird nest boxes are usually cubic in shape with a sloped roof that protrudes beyond the contours of the box to protect the inside of the box from rain. One of the walls is best mounted on hinges (with wire and nails) or wooden pegs because the boxes must be cleaned at least once a year. The roof, and in particular the bottom, must be permanently attached. A workshop on making nests for birds was held for children who are currently in the summer Christian camp at the Church “Nova Nadiya” (Uzhhorod) in order to teach young people to make such nest structures. The event was conducted by Andriy Donichenko, head of the organization of people with disabilities “Parallelny svit”. After all, learn how to make nest structures, you need to try. It’s necessary to find out what sizes they should be for which species of birds, how to protect the nest in it from predators, and much more.
The children actively participated in building such bird houses. Children of IDPs were especially happy that they could do good not only for people but also for other living beings. The nests that the participants learned to make during the workshop are of great value. Children were able to learn more about the great tits and other types of birds that live in them and contribute to the movement aimed at preserving such important and necessary living beings. The participants of the camp also eagerly made a bat box – a structure for bats. All products were installed on the church territory “New Hope”.
The event was held by the Interreligious and Environmental Civil Forum of Eastern Europe (IRCEF) (head by Alexander Bokotey) within the framework of the project “Churches, religious and public organizations for the environmental of national minorities” in cooperation with the German Nature Conservation Union (NABU Bundesverband NABU International ) under with the support of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Auswärtiges Amt) project coordinators Ivan Tymofeiev (NABU), Nataliya Kulya (IRCEF).
Informational Service of IRCEF