It’s the time of year when your garden birds are getting busy choosing nest sites, collecting nesting material and beginning the annual task of raising new broods of youngsters. Maybe you have blue tits investigating a nestbox or a cheeky robin poking about the top shelf of your shed (or, in the case of friends of mine, the bookshelf in your bedroom!), and if you’re like me, are thrilled that they’ve chosen to share your space. 

In most garden birds, the majority of nest building and brooding is done by the hen bird, while the male defends the territory. Once the eggs hatch, both parents feed the nestlings, and will be seen flying back and forth in a continual shuttle to keep the hungry mouths filled.

• Do not disturb! However tempting it might be to have a quick peek to see how they’re getting on, your interest might draw the attention of a predator. Avoid cutting back hedges and climbers where a nest might be concealed.
• Continue to provide good quality bird food. The energy demands of the breeding season are huge, whether nest-building, defending territory, egg production or collecting food for the young. Easily available nutritious food is a blessing. The adult birds will stuff themselves on sunflower hearts from the feeders, allowing them to devote foraging time to collecting caterpillars and insects for the brood. Only in times of severe hardship will they attempt to feed nestlings on the seeds you provide, but just in case, don’t offer whole peanuts during the nesting season.
• During egg laying, a hen bird needs lots of extra nutrients. Calcium is vital for eggshell formation, but one of the most difficult minerals to obtain. Blue tits, which produce large clutches, need to find more calcium for their eggshells than they have in their entire skeleton! Snail shells and minibeasts such as woodlice provide a natural source of calcium, but you might like to provide a supplement – dried crushed eggshells from breakfast or baking, cuttlefish bone or shell grit sold for cage birds at the pet shop, or finely crushed oystershell sold to poultry-keepers.
• Be very careful putting out nesting material for birds. It really isn’t necessary but can provide a lot of fun particularly for youngsters. Short animal fur from grooming pets can be suitable as long as the animal donating the fur hasn’t been treated with shampoo or spot-on flea or worm medicine. Human hair is stronger and longer strands can tangle round the birds’ legs, so should be avoided, as should knitting wool, yarn etc. Dry hay or sheep’s wool are another suitable choice.
• Make a muddy puddle for swallows and house martins if you have them around your home. Dry weather can make it impossible for them to find the vital building material for their nests.
• Don’t be annoyed if you see a bird picking bits off your garden plants. Some birds add bits of aromatic plants such as lavender to their nest as a natural insect deterrent and fumigant – aromatherapy for birds!

Come along to our drop-in Eggs and Nests event at The Cut on Thursday 2^nd April (10.30-15.30) 2026 to find out all about nesting birds. Lots of fun, fact sheets and a nest-building challenge for the youngsters (or the young at heart!).