We recommend that you clean your Birdball after each breeding season, when you are sure it is empty, between September and the end of January.
Wearing rubber gloves (as birds nests can harbor parasites) remove the old nesting materials - a piece of wire coat hanger works well here.
Unhatched eggs can only legally be removed between 31st August and 31st January and these must be disposed of along with the nesting material.
Once empty, rinse the inside thoroughly with hot water, never use bleach, detergent or any other harsh cleaning products.
Leave the birdhouse to dry thoroughly before either rehanging if you'd like to encourage roosting or putting away safely until the following year.
4 comments
Hi Louise! Unfortunately it’s not ideal to try and put the feeders and the Birdball (or other nest box) in the same tree as birds won’t nest in it, it needs to be in a quiet spot away from feeders and other activity. We do a wall mounted variation of the Birdball that might help to site the nest in a suitable spot if you don’t have other trees nearby that you can hang it from, all the best, Trudie
Could this be hung in a tree which also has bird feeders. Or would all the other birds coming in to feed be too much ? We already have wood pigeons nesting & a tit nest box, which gets attention, but never nested in. Thanks
Holly, I don’t have one of these nest boxes but have a more traditional wooden one. It is sited on a north facing wall about 10 feet above ground level. We have had blue tits nest and raise young in it every year. (It has a camera in the roof linked to our TV so we can see what is happening). We clean it out every year in late autumn and never put any material inside. The main thing is that the box is not in full sun as the birds don’t like the heat. Hope this helps. Brian
Hi!
Could you recommend how to clean the outside of the birdball? I have a white one and wondering if using some vinegar is a good idea as it’s quite grubby.
Also, despite having it up for several years no birds have nested in it so far. This might be my positioning of it (too low to ground), so will try it higher this year. But also – would you suggest adding some nesting material (straw?) in there to encourage birds to nest?
Thanks!
Holly