The beautiful robin above (pic copyright Jan Meeus) is doing a shout-out for National Nestbox Week which runs from the 14th February to the 21st February every year.

The week is a chance for us all to see if we can help our feathered friends by showing them a bit of love and giving them a nestbox. A lot of the homes birds have traditionally used for shelter and rest such as nooks and crannies in buildings and hedgerows have gone, thanks to human behaviour. So the week is all about raising awareness of the importance of birds having somewhere to nest and rest.

The National Nestbox Week website has everything you need to know about putting nestboxes up in your garden, and even if you know a lot of the answers already, you could always share the website on social media to spread the word and show people how to get helping our feathered friends. It covers the answers to questions and information such as:

1. Why do nestboxes matter?

2. Which birds use nestboxes?

3. What makes a good nestbox?

4. Make your own small hole nestbox

5. Make your own open-fronted nestbox

6. Where's the best place to put up a nextbox?

7. When should you put a nestbox up?

8. How to look after it

The RSPB has an offer on a number of their nestboxes - buy two and get £2 off - and they have them for different kinds of birds as well.