A baby boom among Britain's blue tits could cause an avian housing crisis in 2005, according to wildlife experts. The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is urging people to put up nesting boxes to help the birds this spring. Data collected for the trust showed that 2004 was a productive year for blue tits, many of whom will now be looking for their first homes.
Natural nest sites, such as holes in trees and buildings, are vanishing as woods are tidied and houses are repaired. The BTO is organising National Nest Box Week between 14 and 21 February - in a bid to persuade people to put up nest boxes this spring. Once a bird has found a place to nest it may return for several seasons. According to BTO Nest Record Scheme data, blue tits have an average of just over seven chicks per nest, with each chick being fed about 100 times each day. It is thought that between hatching and fledging the average blue tit family will eat about 10,000 invertebrates. The BTO says that encouraging blue tits to nest in the garden could provide an ecologically friendly form of pest control.
