First chicks hatched in new nesting boxes in Bashkiria National Park

Pied flycatchers have taken a liking to the artificial nests.

There is a new addition in Bashkiria National Park. The first chicks have already appeared in the artificial nesting boxes that staff hung in the forest this spring.

Park staff installed 16 wooden birdhouses. They are especially needed in young forests, where there are no old hollow trees yet, making it harder for the birds to find a place to nest. And the first tenants have already moved in — pied flycatchers have settled into the nesting boxes. The birds laid eggs, and the chicks have already hatched.

"A true forest joy!" is how the national park commented on the appearance of the offspring.

Artificial nesting boxes help specialists observe all stages of the birds' lives. This year, the national park staff plan to make and hang several dozen more nesting boxes for small birds. And participants in the "Zapovedny Reserv" project contest, who visited the national park at the beginning of June, have already helped create housing for owls and diurnal birds of prey.