Where to put a nest box in your garden

You have a box. Now you are standing in the garden with a drill, looking at a fence, a tree and the side of the shed. This guide is about that decision: how to pick a spot in a real garden using the siting advice the BTO gives. Hole sizes and how to choose a box are in the nest box guide.

The main source is the BTO’s Putting up a nest box page, opened on 14 November 2026. The law on nests in use is from section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 on legislation.gov.uk, opened the same day. Anything not from those two pages is marked as our own common sense.

Start with safety, not the view

The BTO says the highest priority when siting a nest box must be to provide a safe and comfortable environment. That is worth holding on to, because the spot you would most like to see from the kitchen is often not the spot a bird would choose.

The BTO’s points come down to five questions. Work through them for each place you are considering.

1. Is it high enough, and on something solid?

For small-hole boxes, such as those for tits and sparrows, the BTO says they are best placed 1–3 m above ground on tree trunks. If you have no suitable tree, it says a shed or wall is the next best option.

That height is the BTO’s advice, not a rule in law. It is a range, not one magic figure. Within it, choose the place you can fix most firmly and reach safely with a ladder to clean later. Other box types differ: open-fronted boxes, starling boxes and swift boxes have their own guides.

2. Is it sheltered?

The BTO says the box should be sheltered from prevailing wind, rain and strong sunlight. It gives no compass direction, so this guide does not give one either. Look at your own garden instead:

• Where does the weather usually come from? Put the box on the side of the tree or wall that is out of it.
• Which walls bake in the afternoon? A box in full sun for hours can overheat.
• The BTO says the front should be vertical or angled slightly downwards, so rain does not run in. Never tilt it back.

3. Is there a clear flight path?

The BTO says to keep the entrance free of foliage, because a clear flight path is important. A box buried in ivy may look snug, but the birds need to get in and out quickly.

Open-fronted boxes are the exception. For those, the BTO suggests a wall or fence with shrubs and creepers growing against it, so the box is hidden from view. That style is covered in sparrow terraces and open-fronted boxes.

4. Is it away from the feeders?

The BTO says to keep boxes away from feeders, because high levels of activity from visiting birds could disturb nesting pairs. A box on the same post as the feeder, or right above it, is in the busiest spot in the garden.

The BTO does not give a distance. Our common-sense reading is to put the box on a different side of the garden from the feeding station, or at least out of direct sight of it. Where the feeders go is in where to put a bird feeder.

5. Can a cat or squirrel reach it?

The BTO says the box should not be easily accessible to predators, naming cats and squirrels, and suggests a metal plate around the hole to stop squirrels enlarging the entrance.

Look at the spot the way a cat would:

• Is there a fence top, shed roof or branch right next to it? A cat can sit there and wait.
• Is there dense cover close below it where a cat can hide?
• Can anything climb straight up the post or trunk to the box?

More on reducing the risk from cats, without harming them, is in cats and garden birds.

How many boxes, and how far apart?

The BTO does not give a number. It says boxes of the same type should not be sited too close together, because this may cause aggression between neighbours. A small garden may have room for one box of a type. Different types, such as a hole box and an open-fronted box, can be closer.

When to put it up

The BTO says boxes for small birds are traditionally put up in spring, and that pairs begin to prospect in the second half of February. It also says boxes can go up at any time, because birds roost in them. Autumn and winter are a good time to fix a box, because nothing will be nesting.

Do not disturb an active nest

If you are thinking of moving a box that birds are already using, stop. Do not disturb an active nest. Section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, as shown on legislation.gov.uk, makes it an offence in England and Wales to take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while that nest is in use or being built. The Scottish version adds “or otherwise interferes with”. We have not opened the Northern Ireland legislation, so we do not describe it here.

That means you should not move, open up or take down a box while birds are building or using it. Wait until the season is over. The BTO says the law permits cleaning out nests between 1 September and 31 January; the full routine is in cleaning a nest box. If a box has stood empty for a few seasons, that cleaning window is also the time to try a new spot.

What height should a nest box be?

For small-hole boxes, the BTO says 1–3 m above ground on a tree trunk, or on a shed or wall if there is no tree. That is guidance, not a legal requirement.

Which way should a nest box face?

The BTO gives no compass direction. It says shelter the box from prevailing wind, rain and strong sunlight, with the front vertical or tilted slightly down.

Can I move a nest box that birds are using?

No. Do not disturb an active nest. The law protects a wild bird’s nest while it is in use or being built. Wait until it is empty and the season is over.