Bluebird Bungalows
(Page 2 of 2)
March/April 1987
By Mike Matthews
Putting Them Together
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Dr. Fletcher used plywood circles for the tops and bottoms of his tube birdhouses. But sawing and painting enough of those for 100 houses would have been a tremendous job. I decided to use cedar shakes (roofing shingles), and a roofing supply company gladly gave me enough broken ones to use for my project.
I didn't know what to do for the nest floors. Then my mom had an inspiration-use the lids (the disks that fit inside the screw bands) of large-mouth canning jars! To hold them in place, we threaded lightweight wire through holes drilled near the bottoms of the tubes and then dropped the lids in (see illustration for details). We used more wire to hold the cedar roofs in place.
Attracting Bluebirds
Now that the houses were made, how could we get bluebirds to nest in them? I talked to a wildlife extension agent who told me the best time to put up bluebird houses is in late winter or early spring. The birds prefer relatively open areas such as fields, meadows, and orchards, or the edges between fields and forests. They don't like tall undergrowth under their nests, but they do like having a tree, a large shrub, or a fence within fluttering distance (25 to 100 feet) for their fledglings.
We made our bluebird trail along the nature trails of nearby Sandy Creek Park. That made it easier to take care of the houses.
That's right, bluebird houses do need regular care. The birds can raise three broods of youngsters a year, but you have to clean out each old nest before the adults will make a new one. (Clean the houses each winter, as well.) You may also need to repair a house that a squirrel or raccoon has chewed.
Most especially, you have to evict house sparrows. Those aggressive little birds will drive bluebirds right out of their homes. Most songbirds are strictly protected by law, but house sparrows are classified as pests, so you can get rid of any if you like-or just check your birdhouses once a week and remove any house sparrow nests. (To discourage the sparrows from ever using the houses, set them up only three to five feet off the ground . . . and definitely not near people's houses.)
For the Birds
I hope you, too, will want to aid these little songbirds. A lot of effort is needed to help them survive, and we are the ones who can make the difference!
I should also mention that several people who saw our houses asked if they might buy one. A bunch of kids in your scout troop, school class, or other group might be able to sell many of these easy-to-make, inexpensive houses. If you decide to do so, keep your price reasonable and include an information sheet with each house to tell people how to set up and care for them. That's both good business for you and an act of kindness for the birds.
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