Nature

National Nest Box week runs from Valentine's day to 21 February. Valentine's day is thought to be the day that birds pair up for the breeding season but that may be wishful thinking on the part of romantic humans. 

The aim of the week is to halt the decline in the bird population by encouraging people to put up nest boxes and monitoring what happens in the nest boxes.

A Great Tit and chicks in a nest box

BBC Breathing Places and the British Trust for Ornithology are hoping that as many people as possible will take part in the Nest Box Challenge this year. The challenge aims to track nest boxes across the nation with your help. Put up a nest box or clean out an existing one then note which birds take up residence over the breeding season.

Last year's challenge saw blue tits being the highest occupier in the nest boxes across the UK, with other species such as sparrows, robins and blackbirds using the nest boxes.