Bird Feeder and Nest Box Log

Who this is for

The feeders and boxes themselves, and what happens at them. The log records every fill and clean, what food went in and what was seen using it; a register at the foot of the page lists each feeder and box with its type, its position and the date it went up.

Anyone who feeds garden birds through the year, people with nest boxes who want a record of what used them and when, and families sharing the filling between them.

What this helps you track

• Every feeder, table and nest box, with its type and position
• When each went up and when it was last cleaned
• Each fill, dated, with the food that went in
• Whether a box was occupied, and by what
• The jobs still outstanding — a box to move, a feeder to replace

How to use it

1. Write the garden, the year and who keeps the log at the top.
2. Log a line each time you fill or clean one, with the date and the food used.
3. Fill the register at the foot of the page with each feeder and box: a name you will recognise, the type, where it hangs or is fixed and the date it went up.
4. Note what you saw using it in the activity column — species, numbers, or simply 'busy' or 'untouched'.
5. Clean feeders and boxes as often as your own guidance says; this sheet records that you did, not how often you should.
6. At the end of the season, go through the register and note which boxes were used and what needs moving or replacing.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How often should feeders be cleaned?

The sheet gives no interval. Advice differs between countries and conservation bodies, and it changes when disease is about, so follow the guidance from a wildlife organisation where you live and record the dates here.

What food should go in?

Nothing on this page suggests a food, because what is suitable differs by species, by season and by local advice. There is a column to write down what you used, which over a year tells you what your own birds actually take.

Should I open a nest box to see inside?

There are rules about disturbing nesting birds in most places, and they differ. Check what applies where you are before touching an occupied box; the log has room to record what you observed from a distance.

How is this different from the wildlife sighting log?

This one is about the equipment — filling, cleaning, occupancy. The sighting log is about the animals anywhere in the garden. Keeping both means a feeder that has gone quiet is obvious against the wider record.

Can I use it for a nest box scheme?

It will hold the observations, but a monitoring scheme will have its own recording form and its own permissions. Use theirs for the scheme and this as your copy.