Owl Box Refurbishment

I thought I should clear out the owl boxes before the spring, after discovering last years residents were hornets or possibly just common wasps, I'm still not totally sure. Not that I really object to them using the boxes but it would be great to see if an owl would nest in one at least. It's possible it's a hornets nest as they are common in the south and prefer wooded habitats. I should have taken a photo of them when I discovered them initially a few months ago but I was somewhat surprised to find them and being up a ladder it was not really my top priority to stop to take snaps!

Apparently they are docile creatures despite their reputation but might become aggressive if you disturb their nests and have a nasty sting. Hornets are brown and yellow rather than the black/yellow wasps that can be annoying in the garden in summer. Particularly pub gardens!



The first nest I tackled went well and I was able to remove it whole, as I wanted to show my nephew. It's so light and reminded me of paper mâché heads you make when a child. It's chewed up wood so basically the same thing. The outside is a beautiful swirl of wrapping that resembles wood shavings.

The next one disintegrated but meant I was able to look at the inside more closely. Nature creates some wonderful shapes. I think it's the regularity that's so striking as it's in complete contrast to the fluid swirls of the outside.



I also discovered a very large dead hornet, which I assume is the old queen. I've read that the queens only last one season and new ones will have left this nest to over winter elsewhere before creating new nests next year. It will be interesting to see if they return and establish themselves in the boxes again.

The construction of the boxes made this clean out job easy as my dad included handy access hatches when building them.



I suspect I didn't really need to bother to clean them out but it was a good excuse to see what was going on inside. I also adjusted the strapping to make sure it hadn't become too tight.


It was also my first opportunity to try out my moveable fire pit for the first time, which is nothing more than a paving slab and some chunky kerb stone bricks. The idea is that I can leave the slab under the shelter, out of the rain, to make lighting a fire easier as it will create a dry base no matter if the woodland floor is damp. The bricks are heavy but I can move it around the woodland should I want to. The bricks also mean I can rest a grill over the fire for cooking and I have one from an old BBQ that is the perfect size. I already own an unusual portable stove for cooking but it's nice to have more options and enjoy an open fire.







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