[HN Gopher] Securing a swift return: how a simple brick can help...
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       Securing a swift return: how a simple brick can help migratory
       birds
        
       Author : bluenose69
       Score  : 56 points
       Date   : 2021-05-18 09:52 UTC (1 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.theguardian.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.theguardian.com)
        
       | gerdesj wrote:
       | "This summer, the British Standards Institution will, for the
       | first time, issue guidance on bird bricks, making it simple for
       | architects to incorporate them within their designs."
        
       | 0xbadcafebee wrote:
       | Is there some reason one wouldn't just stick a birdhouse on the
       | wall? Seems simpler than building a nest _into_ the house?
        
         | olliej wrote:
         | Some birds preferentially nest in holes in rock vs holes in
         | wood, similar to some species making exposed nests rather than
         | wanting holes in objects.
        
       | mikewarot wrote:
       | I wonder if there is something similar that I could put in my
       | back yard somewhere. (I've got a wood house in the Midwest USA)
        
         | Exmoor wrote:
         | Chimney Swifts would be the type of swift that breeds in your
         | part of the world. They apparently[0] use the insides of brick
         | chimneys to build nests, so if you have one of those simply
         | leaving it uncovered during the spring and summer might give
         | them the opportunity to nest.
         | 
         | [0]
         | https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Chimney_Swift/lifehistor...
        
         | brazzy wrote:
         | Sure there is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nest_box
        
           | hermitcrab wrote:
           | My son and I built a next box and put it in the garden. It
           | isn't hard (even for a software engineer like me). We have
           | now had several generation of blue tits nest there. A few
           | points: -The size of the entrance hole is important,
           | depending on what sort of bird you want. -The orientation
           | relative to the sun is important. -Don't put a peg below the
           | hole. Birds (bluetits anyway) don't need it and it may give
           | purchase for predators. -The birds seem to like having some
           | twigs thay can land on near the box. So don't cut back all
           | the foliage around it.
        
       | twic wrote:
       | These are clearly bigger than a normal brick, but i couldn't tell
       | how big from the article. This has a diagram of one:
       | 
       | https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/rspb-news/news/stories/new-...
        
       | olliej wrote:
       | This is neat. They're essentially hollow bricks - albeit
       | permeable so that they can drain - but more importantly they're
       | being approved for construction with general info for placement
       | as well
        
       | hinkley wrote:
       | I'm not clear why the one picture has three bricks near each
       | other. Do they not open into the same space?
        
         | fencepost wrote:
         | It looks like each brick is hollow, so think of them as
         | birdhouses integrated into the wall. As for proximity there are
         | many species that nest close to each other - it might seem like
         | density would help predators, but there are defense benefits to
         | having neighbors sound alerts and join you in putting a sharp
         | beak into the back of a squirrel's skull.
        
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       (page generated 2021-05-19 23:03 UTC)