Biodiversity - bird and bat boxes
Biodiversity - bird and bat boxes

Biodiversity – Bird and Bat Boxes

As part of the original planning application, Bloor Homes (BH) committed to delivering 10 biodiversity enhancements. These form part of the Section 106 (S106) agreement and VWHDC will be assessing BH’s compliance with this set of requirements.

The first item in the list of 10 biodiversity enhancements relates to integrating bird boxes into the garages installed on The Dovecote. Unfortunately this didn’t happen and BH has come up with an approach to complete this element of their commitment.

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Bloor Homes’ Offer

  • BH will provide up to 140 bird or bat boxes (the commitment within the approved method statement for biodiversity enhancement is just 58 bird boxes) with interest in them being gauged and confirmed by the Residents’ Association (RA). 
  • Every household within the development site will be offered a bird or bat box free of charge (including installation), to be installed on a garage or a house, from the following product list:
  • The RA will advertise the bird and bat box offer on its website and will also email all member residents with the offer which will run for a period of 4 weeks beginning Fri 1st March.
  • At the end of the 4-week period the RA will provide BH with a list of the properties that have chosen to receive either a bird or a bat box, specifying the product of their choice.
  • The bird or bat box offer will include free installation (where required) and BH will arrange via the RA with those properties that have chosen this option to select an installation date/time slot and to specify the installation location on their house/garage. 
  • The bird or bat box installations will take place no later than 6 weeks following the end of the offer period.
  • Any surplus bird or bat boxes remaining after the offer period will be forwarded to the Parish Council for installation across the Drayton Parish.

Worth just emphasizing a couple of points:

  • If replies are received promptly from all residents, then it is hoped that the boxes can be installed ready for this forthcoming nesting season.
  • The above boxes provide nesting and roosting opportunities for bird and bat species that are experiencing significant declines in their populations in the UK, and it is hoped that by permitting these boxes to be installed on our properties that we can make a positive difference to these species and attempt to halt their decline locally.

Our resident ecologist has added some thoughts to help residents decide whether this offer is right for them, and what the right location might be for a bird or bat box.

Bird Boxes

  • Nesting birds (particularly starlings) can sometimes be noisy so it would be prudent to not locate a box near a bedroom window (although the nesting season is short, so the noise would only last around three weeks at the most). We have some experience of starlings nesting in eaves recently, but the residents didn’t hear them.
  • There is the potential for a small accumulation of bird droppings occuring below the nest box, so boxes should not be located above doorways or where cars are regularly parked.
  • Research has shown that bird boxes should be orientated away from the prevailing wind and the full heat of the sun, so boxes should preferably face in a north-easterly direction.  
  • Swifts require an uncluttered environment in front of the nest (they fly swooping up into the nest hole) so if there is a building or the potential for trees in the future to grow in the way, then the swifts are unlikely to use the bird box.
  • The starling and house sparrow boxes may require cleaning out during the autumn/winter and therefore it would be prudent for these to not be installed too high (to facilitate access with a ladder).

Bat Boxes

  • Bat boxes are likely to be quieter and could be used throughout the year by bats (as opposed to bird boxes which would only be used by birds for a month or two).
  • Bat boxes should ideally face in an easterly and southernly direction, in order for the box to receive sun during the day. We have evidence of common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle, and Natterer’s bats in gardens, so there are certainly bats around which could potentially use these bat boxes.

Next Steps

Our resident ecologist has prepared a Bird & Bat Box Offer – Information Sheet (downloadable PDF) to help homeowners start thinking about what they might like to do.

When residents are ready to confirm their response to this offer, they can fill in the The Bird and Bat Box Selection Form.

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