More info: In Finland, small birds usually begin nesting in early spring, but some look for perfect spots all year round. Nest boxes provide shelter for nesting birds from predators and can be placed almost anywhere in nature. Building and putting up nest boxes is a Finnish tradition, and many people have one in their backyards or at their summer cottage.
Some birds, such as woodpeckers, can excavate their own nesting cavities in dead or decaying trees. Others depend on the abandoned nesting holes or natural cavities formed from fallen branches for places to build nests.
Nest boxes can provide suitable habitats for hole-nesting birds where more natural nesting habitats such as tree cavities are scarce.