Simon Cherriman was six years old when he first became fascinated by birds.

He was lying in bed, sick with chickenpox, when a tiny silvereye flew into his window and stunned itself.

"My mum brought it in, [and put] this little bird with these intricately detailed feathers in my hands.

"When it came to, I took it to the window and opened my hands. It suddenly just flew off, [landing] with lightning speed and dexterity in a nearby bush.

"I just remember being really captivated by that moment."

Three decades on, Simon's now an ornithologist ("a fancy way of saying bird scientist") based in Noongar Country (Perth Hills), Western Australia, and runs The Re-Cyc-Ology Project — a conservation and environmental education initiative inspired by the loss of tree hollows.

Simon featured in the ABC's Australia's Wild Odyssey series, and showed us how and why you should consider making a nest box for your own backyard or balcony.

As Simon explains, some types of wildlife — over 300 species in Australia — are "hollow dependent".

This means they can't create their own nests or other sleeping spots.

Instead, they rely on hollows in trees for their habitat.

Nest boxes are artificial forms of tree hollows, and are essential in areas where we've lost big, old-growth trees.

"When a tree starts growing in the landscape, it takes at least 50 to 100 years for termites to chew away the inside heartwood of the tree," Simon explains.

"And that's just for small hollows. Large cockatoo-sized ones take two to three centuries to form.

"By putting a nest box on a tree that's young, we're essentially turning it into an older habitat tree."

Some species in Australia are becoming dependent on nest boxes to keep their populations going, when there's no old trees left — and without artificial hollows, they're at risk of becoming extinct.

However, Simon adds that nest boxes should never be used to justify cutting down big trees, and should instead be considered a stop-gap while natural hollows form.

"While these boxes work really well, you cannot replace the hollows that are in an old natural habitat tree.

"Once that tree is gone, it's going to be hundreds of years before another one like it grows back."

Ecologist Tom Hunt shares his top tips for bringing all the birds to your yard — no matter where you live.

Before you start making, Simon says you'll need to work out what size nest box you're keen to create.

"If you've got a big backyard, you might want to build one that's suitable for owls, possums, ducks or other birds.

"If you've got a small yard, or even a balcony, you can make a smaller nest box for things like micro bats, or even insects and spiders."

Even if you're in an inner-city area, setting up a nest box around your home can help divert wildlife from setting up camp in other places.

"People often don't want possums in their roof, but they only use roofs because there's often nothing else for them.

"A nest box can be that happy medium where they're still using your backyard, but they're not weeing on your ceiling."

He adds that nest boxes may not attract wildlife on their own. Animals need food and water to cater for their daily needs, which can come in the form of a native garden or wildlife corridor.

Instead of throwing out old home and garden furniture, Kate turns them into enclosures for injured sugar gliders, possums, wallabies and snakes.

Simon made his first nest box when he was 10 years old, and has learned from his mistakes since then.

He's found thicker plywood works better than thin varieties, and Phillips head screws are more effective than flat heads.

Simon and his partner Danielle source recycled materials for their boxes, which they encourage others aim for when creating their own.

To find second-hand materials, he suggests checking out online marketplaces, approaching the foreman of any building projects or roadworks near you, or just heading to your local salvage yard.

For more information on building materials and instructions, you can find resources on Re-Cyc-Ology's website, or watch the video below.

If you're placing your nest box in a tree, Simon says four metres off the ground is generally the ideal height.

"Typically the larger hollows for those bigger species are installed higher, at more than 10 metres – but you'd need to get a professional to do that.

"The smaller boxes, especially ones suitable for microbats, can go only a metre or so off the ground, as long as there's a clear space for a flight path."

If you're keen to place a nest box on a balcony, Simon suggests hanging it like a heavy duty picture frame, with hooks in the wall.

Alternatively, if you've got a shelf or table of plants on your balcony already, you can add a small nest box in amongst it.

He says while you might place your box with a certain type of wildlife in mind, you may be surprised by what takes to it — which just makes the project more rewarding.

"There's this amazing connection, where you feel like you're looking after something, and creating a habitat. It's a really feel-good experience."

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