A couple of years ago, a flock of sparrows decided to move into our cow shed where they built a little colony of nests in the rafters and have entertained us with their cheerful chirping ever since. Recent winter storms blew down almost all of the nests and we decided to give the birds a hand by ordering two of these horizontal sparrow nest boxes.
First impressions upon receipt of the boxes are as follows. They seem to be sturdy and generally well made. Unlike in the photos on the product page, the wood has a pale green appearance from whatever wood preservative was used. On one hand it is obviously a good thing that the softwood has been treated; on the other hand one can only hope that the preservative is non-toxic to our feathered friends.
Two of the main reasons we decided to order these boxes over others were the galvanised roof and the front opening door for ease of cleaning. The zinc roof is great but the design could be improved by having the sheet come down at the rear just as it does at the front and the sides. It doesn’t make sense not to protect the wood at the rear. The bottom-hinged door on one of our boxes arrived slightly warped which may or may not correct itself, but for now, I will have to reposition the two screws the small hooks close into, to fasten the door in place.
Hanging the nest boxes on a beam in our cow shed will be simple thanks to the convenient grooves for nails or screws at the back of the boxes. On a purely personal level we’re unhappy about the nest boxes being manufactured in Belarus, but that is just down our own political viewpoint. It would probably not stop us from re-ordering this box if the need arose.
Separately, I would like to mention Veldshop’s extraordinarily responsive customer service department when I contacted them by email about delivery of our order. Many thanks again.
Posted by: Heike O'Sullivan on 9 February 2024
