Country diary: Bird boxes aren't just occupied by birds | Sara Hudston

Porlock, Somerset: Autumn's arrival means checking the nearly 200 boxes around here, though sadly some are missing, presumed stolenThis is the season for clearing out nest boxes now that the breeding season is finished and the young are fledged. Nests so painstakingly constructed only a few months before need to be discarded to prevent mites and viruses accumulating next spring. It's not just throwing away - this is a time of discovery that reveals which creatures visited the boxes and whether they bred successfully.On Exmoor, the local natural history society maintains nearly 200 bird boxes across nine sites near Porlock. Volunteers are in the process of checking, recording and clearing the contents, a task that involves wading through rocky streams and searching for boxes hidden behind extra?luxuriant foliage produced by this year's wet summer. It turns out that several are missing, having been taken down deliberately, presumed stolen. Continue reading...