Bird nest box

Abstract

A bird nest box comprising an enclosure having a circumferential side wall, a front panel with an entrance hole 22, an opposing rear panel, a floor 14, and a roof 16. The front panel comprises an inne

Description

Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to a bird nest box designed to provide a safe and comfortable environment for birds to nest in, whilst protecting them from predators and inclement weather conditions. Background of the Invention Nest boxes are well known and in widespread use by bird lovers, to attract nesting birds to gardens and other outdoor environments. A bird nest box typically comprises an enclosure in the form of a box with a roof or lid, with the front wall of the box having a hole or opening in it to allow birds to access the interior of the enclosure. The diameter of this opening is dependent on the type of bird the nest is intended to attract because many birds, especially smaller birds, will tend to choose a box with a hole only just large enough for an adult bird to pass through. Accordingly, a nest box will also have a larger access opening somewhere, to allow for emptying and cleaning the interior of the enclosure at the end of a nesting season, ready for the next nesting season. This access opening is usually covered by a removable (or at least openable) panel. Typically, this access panel might be the roof of the nest box, or it may be provided in the side or front walls of the enclosure, or there may even be a hatch in the floor of the enclosure, so that the nest box can be cleaned out without having to remove it from wherever it has been mounted (usually by means of permanent fixtures including brackets and screws). However, this type of access panel can, as a result of its location, be accessed and compromised by large predators, leaving the inhabitants of the nest box vulnerable to attack. Furthermore, any gap between the edges of the access panel and the adjacent sides of the enclosure can allow water into the enclosure. Other problems exist such as swollen wood resulting in the access panels being unusable and often the hinge points are vulnerable to rusting and damage resulting the nest box becoming useless. Another problem associated with conventional (especially wooden) bird nest boxes intended for smaller song birds is that woodpeckers and other animals can peck, scratch or gnaw around the edges of the entrance hole to make it larger, thereby once again leaving the baby birds exposed and vulnerable. It is known to mount a rigid plate over and around the entrance hole on the outside of the nest box, but this can deter the smaller birds from using the nest box altogether. Guidance from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) states that the bottom of the entrance hole should be at least 125mm from the floor of the enclosure because, if it is less, the baby birds could fall out or be scooped out by a cat or the like. However, the height of the entrance hole can also create a problem when the time comes for the baby birds to leave the nest, as they may have difficulty reaching it. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved bird nest box, and aspects of the invention seek to address at least one or more of the issues discussed above. Statements of Invention In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a bird nest box comprising an enclosure having a circumferential side wall including a front panel having an entrance hole therein for allowing a bird to access the interior of the enclosure, and an opposing rear panel, a floor covering the base of said side wall, and a roof covering the top of said side wall, wherein the front panel comprises an outer surface and an inner surface with the entrance hole extending through the front panel from the outer surface to the inner surface, the bird nest box further comprising a rigid plate having therein a hole of substantially the same shape and diameter as the entrance hole, the rigid plate being sandwiched or embedded in the front panel between the outer and inner surfaces such that the hole therein is substantially aligned with the entrance hole and the remainder of the rigid plate surrounds an area around the entrance hole. In a preferred embodiment, the rigid plate may be formed of a rigid metal such as steel. The rigid plate may be of any convenient shape, such as rectangular or circular. In an exemplary embodiment, the hole is provided generally centrally in the plate and there may, beneficially, be a circumferential distance of at least 5mm between the edge of the hole and the outer edge(s) of the rigid plate. The rigid plate acts to prevent a larger bird or other animal from being able to widen the entrance hole of the bird nest box and, thereby, leave the inhabitants of the bird nest box vulnerable to attack or inclement weather conditions. Thus, this aspect of the invention embeds the plate within the wood, to prevent the entrance hole from being enlarged, without deterring birds from using the nest box.. At least the front panel and, more beneficially, the entire enclosure may be formed of wood of at least 14mm thickness, to insulate the interior of the enclosure. The rear panel may be provided with an access opening to allow the interior of the bird nest box to be emptied and cleaned at the end of a nesting season. In a preferred embodiment, the upper edge of the access opening may be configured to be received in or on a fixing device to allow the bird nest box to be removably mounted, via the fixing device, to fixed structure. In an embodiment, the fixing device may comprise a panel having a bracket member provided on one surface thereof, wherein the bracket member is configured to receive therein or thereon the upper edge of the access opening, and the panel, in use, forms a cover over said access opening. In one embodiment, the upper edge of the access opening comprises a (beneficially substantially 45°) bevelled or chamfered edge that fits, in use, in a groove between said bracket member and said panel. In a preferred embodiment, one or more ventilation slots may be provided in said circumferential side wall. For example, the or each ventilation slot may comprise a gap between an upper edge of the side wall and said roof. Beneficially, one or more textured protrusions (e.g. formed of wood bark) may be provided on the inner surface of the front panel, below the entrance hole. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a bird nest box assembly comprising a bird nest box comprising an enclosure having a circumferential side wall including a front panel having an entrance hole for allowing a bird to enter the enclosure, in use, and an opposing rear panel, wherein an access opening is provided in said rear panel, the bird nest box assembly further comprising a fixing device configured to be fixed to a structure, the fixing device comprising a panel and a bracket member provided on a surface of said panel, wherein a groove is defined between an edge of said bracket member and said surface of said panel, and wherein the upper edge of said access opening, when said bird nest box is oriented for use, is shaped and configured to be received in said groove such that the fixing device and bird nest box are removably coupled together and said panel forms a cover over said access opening. These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description. Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a schematic front perspective view of a bird nest box according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic rear perspective view of the bird nest box of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic plan view of the bird nest box of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a schematic rear view of the bird nest box of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a schematic front view of the bird nest box of Figure 1, together with a fixing device for mounting the bird nest box to a fixed structure; Figure 6 is a schematic rear view of the bird nest box of Figure 1 with the rear wall removed to show the inside of the enclosure; and Figure 7 is a schematic side longitudinal cross sectional view of the bird nest box of Figure 1, including the fixing device shown in situ in a mounted configuration. Detailed Description Referring to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings, a bird nest box according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention comprises an enclosure 10 having an outer, generally (rounded) hexagonal side wall 12, a floor 14 mounted over the base of the side wall 12, and a roof 16 mounted over the top edge of the side wall 12. The outer shape of the enclosure is designed to mimic natural nesting sites. The roof 16 is of roughly the same shape as the outer cross-sectional shape of the side wall 12, but it is dimensioned do that its edges extend over and beyond the side wall 12. As can be seen most clearly in Figure 7 of the drawings, the roof 16 slopes downwardly from the rear face 18 of the side wall 12 to the opposing front face 20 of the side wall 12. The side wall 12, floor 14 and roof 16 are formed of thick (e.g. 14mm+) natural solid wood which is naturally insulating and helps to maintain a constant temperature inside the enclosure. The roof 16 is fixed and sealed onto the upper edges of the side wall 12 to help to ensure that the enclosure remains weatherproof. The wood is treated with natural weatherproofing materials, and at least the roof 16 is treated with waterproofing materials such as tung oil, beeswax and carnauba wax, which are not harmful to birds. Thus, if it rains, the rain water runs down the sloped roof 16 from the rear to the front of the nest box, and then drains from the edges, away from the enclosure. The front face 20 of the side wall 12 of the enclosure 10 is defined by a generally circular entrance opening 22, the diameter of which is dependent on the size of the bird the nest box is designed to attract. In an exemplary embodiment, the entrance opening 22 may be of 32mm to suit key species of songbirds. However, the present invention is not necessarily intended to be limited in this regard, and the entrance opening 22 could be of a smaller diameter (e.g. 25mm or 28mm), or even of larger diameter (e.g. 45mm). The entrance opening 22 is located toward the top of the front face 20 of the side wall 12 of the enclosure 10, such that there is sufficient distance between the bottom of the entrance hole 22 and the floor of the enclosure 10 to prevent baby birds from falling out or being scooped out by a predator, such as a cat. As previously stated, the guidance from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds recommends a distance of at least 125mm from the bottom of the entrance hole 22 to the floor of the enclosure 10. There is no outside perch or other potential foothold which could otherwise assist predators in accessing the inhabitants of the nest box via the entrance opening 22. There are two side faces on each side of the enclosure 10, between the front face 20 and the rear face 18. As can be seen most clearly in Figure 2 of the drawings, the rearmost side face on one side of the enclosure 10 is slightly shorter than the other faces so as the create a ventilation slot 24 in the enclosure 10 (between the top edge of the rearmost panel and the bottom surface of the roof 16). This ventilation slot 24 is too small to allow a predator any access to the interior of the enclosure. In some embodiments, a similar ventilation slot may be provided at the rear-most side panel on the opposite side of the enclosure 10. Thus, the thick solid walls of the enclosure 10 provide insulation and the one or more ventilation slots 24 act to maintain a constant temperature within the enclosure 10. The ventilation slots are positioned so that they are partially hidden and provide no opportunity for predators to catch sight of the baby birds. The rear face 18 of the enclosure 10 is provided with a large, rectangular access opening 26. In this embodiment, the access opening 26 extends across the most of the width of the rear face 18 of the enclosure 10, is located generally centrally and has a height of a approximately two thirds of the total length of the rear face 18 of the enclosure. However, these dimensions are not necessarily essential. Indeed, the access opening simply needs to be large enough for a human user to access the interior of the nest box with their hand so as to remove old nests and clean the inside ready for the next nesting season. Referring now to Figures 5 to 7 of the drawings, a rigid, ideally metal, plate 28 is embedded in the front wall 20 of the enclosure 10, around the entrance opening 22. The metal plate 28 has a hole therein that substantially matches the hole forming the entrance opening 22, in both shape and diameter, and, when the metal plate is embedded in the front wall of the enclosure 10, this hole is lined up with the entrance opening 22 such that the entrance opening 22 is unobstructed. The remainder of the metal plate , around the hole, sits in the space behind the outer edge of the entrance opening 22 such that, if, for example, a woodpecker attempted to widen the entrance hole 22 by pecking around its outer edges, it could not penetrate through the front wall of the enclosure 10 because the metal plate 28 would act to block it and, therefore, it could not widen the inner edge of the entrance hole 22. The plate being embedded, rather than attached to the inside means that the plate can’t be dislodged by repeated pecking. As shown in Figure 6 of the drawings, one or more footholds 30, such as pieces of bark or the like, may be affixed to the inner surface of the front wall of the enclosure 10, below the entrance opening 22, to provide a “ladder” to assist baby birds in accessing the entrance opening 22 when the time comes for them to leave the nest. It will be appreciated that any suitable textured protrusions could be used for this purpose, but bark (or similar natural material) contributes to a more natural nesting experience for the inhabitants of the bird nest box. The shape of the enclosure 10 not only mimics natural nesting sites, but also results in a larger floor area than conventional rectangular or square bird nest boxes, which encourages birds to lay more eggs and, as a result, maximise brood size. One or more drainage holes 40 may be provided in the floor of the enclosure, to allow any water that does get into the enclosure to drain out. Referring specifically to Figure 7 of the drawings, the upper edge of the access opening 26 in the rear wall of the enclosure 10 (when the bird nest box is oriented for normal use, as shown in the drawings) is bevelled from the inner edge of the rear wall to the outer edge (at the top of the access opening 26) to provide an angled surface that extends across the thickness of the rear wall of the enclosure 10, with an apex at the outer edge of the access opening 26 facing toward the bottom of the access opening 26. A separate fixing device 31 comprises a rectangular panel 32 and a bracket member 34 affixed, generally centrally, to one surface of the rectangular panel 32. The bracket member 34 comprises a generally rectangular block that is bevelled along one edge thereof to provided a surface that extends at an angle from surface of the block immediately adjacent the rectangular panel 32 to the opposing surface so create an angled groove between the angled surface and the rectangular panel 32. The angled groove 36 between the bracket member 34 and the rectangular panel is shaped and dimensioned to, in use, receive therein the bevelled edge of the access opening 26. In order to mount the bird nest box to a tree or other structure for use, a user can attach the fixing device 31 to the tree or other structure by means of screws 41 that can be screed into respective screw holes 42 that extend through the bracket member 34 and the rectangular panel 32 of the fixing device. Once the fixing device 31 is in place, the bird nest box can be removably mounted thereon by sliding the bevelled edge at the top of the access opening 26 over the bracket member 34 and into the angled groove 36 provided between the bracket member 34 and rectangular panel 32 of the fixing device 30, such that the apex of the bevelled edge rests against the trough of the groove 36 5 and the weight of the bird nest box is taken by the bracket member 34. Once mounted, the rectangular panel 32 covers the access opening 26 (as shown in Figure 7 of the drawings), thereby protecting the inhabitants of the enclosure from predators and inclement weather conditions. In order to remove the bird nest box from the fixing device, a user simply needs to lift the box up to remove the bevelled edge from the io groove 36. This doesn’t require tools and so is advantageous when emptying the nest box. It also means that the installation doesn’t involve holding the weight of the nest box whilst screwed it into the mounted surface. The light bracket is held and mounted and then the nest box can be placed on it afterwards. Once removed from the fixing device, the access opening 26 is fully accessible to allow the enclosure to be cleaned, before 15 being returned to its mounted location ready for the next nesting season. It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, from the foregoing description, that modifications and variations can be made to the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A bird nest box comprising an enclosure having a circumferential side wall including a front panel having an entrance hole therein for allowing a bird to access the interior of the enclosure, and an opposing rear panel, a floor covering the base of said side wall, and a roof covering the top of said side wall, wherein the front panel comprises an outer surface and an inner surface with the entrance hole extending through the front panel from the outer surface to the inner surface, the bird nest box further comprising a rigid plate having therein a hole of substantially the same shape and diameter as the entrance hole, the rigid plate being sandwiched or embedded in the front panel between the outer and inner surfaces such that the hole therein is substantially aligned with the entrance hole and the remainder of the rigid plate surrounds an area around the entrance hole.

2. A bird nest box according to claim 1, wherein the rigid plate is formed of a rigid metal.

3. A bird nest box according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the hole is provided generally centrally in the plate and there is a circumferential distance of at least 5mm between the edge of the hole and the outer edge(s) of the rigid plate.

4. A bird nest box according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least the front panel is formed of wood of at least 10mm thickness, and the rigid plate is embedded within the thickness of the front panel, between the outer and inner surfaces.

5. A bird nest box according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the rear panel is provided with an access opening.

6. A bird nest box according to claim 5, wherein the upper edge of the access opening is configured to be received in or on a fixing device to allow the bird nest box to be removably mounted, via the fixing device, to fixed structure.

7. A bird nest box according to claim 6, wherein the fixing device comprises a panel having a bracket member provided on one surface thereof, wherein the bracket member is configured to receive therein or thereon the upper edge of the access opening, and the panel, in use, forms a cover over said access opening.

8. A bird nest box according to claim 7, wherein the upper edge of the access opening comprises a bevelled or chamfered edge that fits, in use, in a groove between said bracket member and said panel.

9. A bird nest box according to claim 8, wherein the upper edge of the access opening comprises a substantially 45° bevelled or chamfered edge, and the bracket member has a corresponding bevelled or chamfered edge such that, in use, the bevelled / chamfered surfaces of the upper edge of the access opening and the bracket member engage in face-to-face relation.

10. A bird nest box according to any of the preceding claims, wherein one or more ventilation slots are provided in said circumferential side wall.

11. A bird nest box according to claim 10, wherein the or each ventilation slot comprises a gap between an upper edge of the side wall and said roof.

12. A bird nest box according to any of the preceding claims, wherein one or more textured protrusions are provided on the inner surface of the front panel, below the entrance hole.

13. A bird nest box assembly comprising a bird nest box comprising an enclosure having a circumferential side wall including a front panel having an entrance hole for allowing a bird to enter the enclosure, in use, and an opposing rear panel, wherein an access opening is provided in said rear panel, the bird nest box assembly further comprising a fixing device configured to be fixed to a structure, the fixing device comprising a panel and a bracket member provided on a surface of said panel, wherein a groove is defined between an edge of said bracket member and said surface of said panel, and wherein the upper edge of said access opening, when said bird nest box is oriented for use, is shaped and configured to be received in said groove such that the fixing device and bird nest box are removably coupled together and said panel forms a cover over said access opening.11

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