In 2019 Tony Moore, Chair of the Friends of Thwaite Common group, began a project to provide bird boxes on Thwaite Common.

In November 2019, a team of 8 volunteers refurbished and re-installed one tawny owl box, built and put up two new tawny owl boxes and two barn owl boxes (one inside and one outside), two little-owl boxes and two kestrel boxes.

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February 2020 - a team of volunteers created twenty-eight nest box packs for small birds. These were then taken by boys and girls from Erpingham Primary School who, with help from their parents, assembled and decorated them. They were then put up in various locations across Thwaite Common in time for the breeding season.

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June 2020 - there appears to have been activity around most of the small bird boxes and some activity has been spotted around some of the raptor and owl boxes, so in just a few months the project can definitely be considered a success and will hopefully provide nesting sites for many birds for many years to come.

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A big THANK YOU for donations of plywood and paint by nearby households and businesses, for permission to put some of the boxes on neighbouring properties and for financial backing from Alby with Thwaite Parish Council and Norfolk Wildlife Trust.

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September 2020 - volunteers carried out the first clear-out of the next boxes. The findings are as follows:

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About 80% of our nest boxes have been made use of, though not always by the creatures we had in mind!

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School nestboxes: 10 used by blue tits and great tits. 3 not used. 1 used as a hornets nest.

Some nests had a few eggs remaining and two held skeletons of chicks.

 

Family nestboxes: 11 used by blue tits and great tits. 2 not used .

Raptor boxes: One barn owl box and one kestrel box unused.

2 Little Owl boxes full of nesting material. This was fine material including moss and wool.

1 kestrel box used as a squirrel’s drey. This box was stuffed with fresh sycamore leaves.

1 kestrel box occupied by nesting pigeon.

One Tawny Owl box full of nesting materials. This box was full of finely shredded leaves.

1 tawny owl box occupied by two squirrels.  These 2 squirrels were asleep in the box!

1 tawny owl box used by a tawny owl. This box smelt bad, had a lot of dirty nesting material soiled with bird and mammal remains.

1 barn owl box used by a bird. Advice from the Barn Owl Trust suggests that the nest belonged to a stock dove.

Unfortunately, one of the owl boxes came down in the storms in late September along with the dead tree it was attached to. Luckily the box was undamaged and will be put up in a new site as soon as possible.