Thanks to everyone who came along to Telford shopping centre on Saturday 17 February. We gave away 200 nest boxes in Telford and we had great fun helping people to put them together. A total of 10,000 were given away across the UK. If you've just put up your nest box, don't forget to register it with the British Ornithological Trust (BTO) using the link below. The registration is easy to complete and you could soon be watching a family of blue tits growing up in your garden. The BBC Nest Box Challenge hopes to compile the largest ever survey into the diversity of birds in our gardens. It's all in a good cause, and by monitoring the birds using your nest box over the year you'll provide valuable information on the habits of Britain's birds. Wild garden birds have been in decline over recent years as many of their traditional nesting sites have disappeared. Remember if you want to buy a nest box there are plenty of places around Shropshire to get them from. You don't need a big garden to get involved - a small area or even a balcony can be just as valuable. If you attract any nesting birds to your Shropshire garden, let us know about it. - Anne Payne of Shawbury writes:
We put up a bird box last year and were delighted when we saw blue tits nesting in it. They produced 4 eggs and we were able to take photos of a couple of the babies when they peered out through the hole, waiting for food. Sadly we missed them all fleeing the nest, and it was quite sad for a few days not to see them. They are back! I am glad to report that they have returned to their 'preserved' nest within their box on the wall outside our dining room. We are enjoying seeing them again and would love to encourage more birds to our garden. We have fed them over winter with fatballs and nuts and intend to get more bird boxes. | 
