Column: Put up a box for the birds and watch them swoop in and out

The key points to remember are to put it somewhere where cats won’t be able to get at it and where it won’t get too hot (so not on a south facing wall).

I have had a box up for a number of years on my back wall and although last year the birds ignored it, the previous year a pair of great tits took up residence.

It was fun to watch the diligent parents swooping in and out to build a nest and then bring in caterpillars and insects for the hungry chicks. Their work ethic was second to none.

Then after almost three weeks, small faces started to appear at the box hole as the curious juveniles peeked at the outside world. This is the anxious time when you so want to see the youngsters fledge, but realise in all likelihood they will go early one morning and you will come down to a silent, empty nest box.

In actual fact, it was mid-morning a few days later and I was about to get into my car when I saw a gormless fluffy young great tit on the pavement.

Realising this was in all likelihood one of ‘mine,’ I rushed round to the back of the house where the box was quiet, but several young great tits were dotted about the garden.

Two were on the ground and realising they might end up as brunch for one of the many neighbourhood cats I gently placed them in a tree.

They were worryingly tame and climbed onto a finger quite happily.

I then left them to it, hoping that the parents were nearby. When I came back later on, there was no sign of them, but I hope at least a couple survived.

They are at their most vulnerable when just out of the box and there are an awful lot of cats around the place.

A few weeks later I got a ladder and removed the old nest – a neat mossy, twiggy cup. Its job done, I popped it in the bin.