May 08, 1975 - Nesting Sites Are Scarce- Help By Building Boxesfocus on nature
by Paul Stoutenburgh
Nesting Sites Are Scarce-
Help By Building Boxes
Nesting boxes are well worth the effort. I
can still remember in my youth the first
nesting box I put up. It must have been when
I was in about 5th or 6th grade. My Dad had
bought me a 5 and 10 cent store kit made of
1/4" redwood, a sort of do- it- yourself thing.
The shape is still used today, a square,
tipped on edge 45 degrees. It was put up with
youthful anticipation outside my bedroom
window on an old oak tree. The reward for
my efforts was to have the state bird of New
York nest in it—the beautiful Bluebird.
What a thrill!
Never again have I ever enticed one to
nest. As a matter of fact, we rarely see one
now -a -days. What a loss to the countryside.
Some years ago I was fortunate enough to
photograph the Bluebird while camping
with the family at Wildwood State Park. We
kept seeing the birds fly back and forth over
our campsite and decided they must be
feeding their young nearby. After watching
and following them for some time, posting
someone here and someone else there
through the woods, we were able to find the
nest in an old tree hole. I photographed both
the male and female feeding and cleaning
the nest. That was perhaps ten to fifteen
years ago.
Still, there are a few around today. Just
yesterday Dr. Cunliffe called me to verify a
sighting on Plum Island. That area is ex-
tremely good for birding and has one of the
largest Night Heron and Snowy Egret
rookeries along the eastern seaboard. But
that's another story .... now back to the
birdhouses.
My next endeavor, came years later when
my skill with saw and hammer became
more proficient. This time I went into the
business of birdhouses in a big way. I set up
a production line and, in what my youthful
mind seemed no time at all, had 15 to 20
boxes ready for sale. Fame and fortune
would soon be mine. Summer folks would be
out on the weekend and all I had to do was
display my works of art and take in the
money.
h. We lived in Fleets Neck -then, just about
the only family year round and any en-
terprising young person had to work
weekends to make a few extra dollars. I
tacked my boxes on a long board and set
them up in the front yard ..... and waited.
How could people miss such a buy? and
with such superior craftsmanship? Ah,
finally a car stopped. One of the fine people
of Cutchogue got out, Miss Kathryn Fleet, a
person sensitive to the outdoors and, I might
add, from that day on a warm personal
friend. I can remember what happened
exactly for it was a hightlight of my youthful
career of selling. As Miss Fleet went up and
down the long row of bird boxes trying to
decide which one would draw a prospective
tenant —Lo and behold a House Wren came
along and started building in one. There was
no need for high pressure salesmanship that
I was about to start in on, rather a soft
deliberate "That settles it! I'll take two."
And so I was launched into the world of
business.
I couldn't have a more cunning partner
than the House Wren or, as some call her,
Jenny Wren. Like all wrens they have the
habit of making many nests, not just one for
their clutch of eggs, but others for some
unknown joy of just building nests.
Evidently the bird was building in the area
and saw the fine examples of nesting sites
and just started filling them all. At any rate,
it worked and no matter who stopped by,
Jenny Wren was there proving the use of my
boxes to all. Sales finally dropped sharply
when she started incubating and the natural
drive to build nests disappeared.
I'm still building boxes— anything from
the small wren box which chickadees also
nest in to the large multi - dwelling boxes of
the Purple Martin. Now there's a bird worth
attracting. Martins are worth a thousand
cans of bug spray and the joy of watching
their flight and listening to their chatter
makes the effort of this kind of apartment
house well worth its time. There are only a
few things to remember about martins. Like
anything worthwhile it takes time — perhaps
two or three years -or, longer to attract them..
USING THE DIMENSIONS ACCOMPANYING THIS ARTICLE A BASIC BIRD BOX CAN BE
MADE USING THE FOLLOWING OUTLINE.
NOTE: KEY DIMENSIONS ARE — ENTRANCE OPENING, DISTANCE OF OPENING
TO FLOOR AND HOW HIGH FROM THE GROUND THE BOX IS TO BE PLACED.
PURPLE MARTIN
BOX
\ SLANT ROOF
ABOUT 1 IN.
1
/UPRIGHT OF
SUITABLE HEIGHT
TO SECURE YOUR
BIRD HOUSE TO
FENCE, TREE OR POST
<__ - -11
PARTS NEEDED TO BUILD
ONE BIRD BOX
OPTIONAL: PIECE OF ROOFING SHINGLE
WILL LENGTHEN LIFE OF
BIRD BOX
t
OPENING
MOST
IMPORTANT
SWINGS OPEN FOR
CLEANING
SCREW TO SECURE FRONT
NOTE: USE APPROPRIATE SIZE
GALVANIZED NAILS
1/2 or 3/4 IN. WOOD OF
ALMOST ANY KIND
LEAVE BOX NATURAL
INSTALL TO CORRECT
HEIGHT ABOVE GROUND
I�
I
I
ILI I 2SIDES 1 -BACK 1 -FRONT 1 -TOP 1- BOTTOM
SIDES NAILED -BACK FITS' FRONT PIVOTS TOP -1 IN. LARGER BOTTOM FITS
TO BACK AND BETWEEN BETWEEN -THAN BOX ALL UP INTO SIDES
BOTTOM - NOT `2 SIDES 2 SIDES AROUND -BACK AND FR(
TO FRONT
I- MOUNTING
STICK
P. STOUTE N BU RGH 4/27/75