It's Time to BuildSketch by Dennis Puleston, Brookhaven
Focus on Mature
It's Time to Build!
A short time ago I overheard one of our despondent
winter residents, the woodpecker. He was complaining about
the lack of houses hereabouts, saying, "They're just not
making dead trees the way they used to. As a.matter of fact
it's almost impossible to find even a dead old stump nowa-
days." It's his belief that modern man should be rewound .
and set straight about a few things such as cutting down
dead trees and -continually ciearing out every piece of
woodland:
This little tale of woe was noth-
ing compared to the blistering
attack I received from our newly
arrived visitor, the tree swallow.
Seems he was one of the classy
fellows who had spent the winter
near a fancy resort down south.
He just couldn't understand
how we Northerners were let-
ting those squatters take over
the government housing. He was
referring, of course, to the star-
ling and English sparrow.
Seems years back when they
weren't around there was no pro-
blem. When a fellow finished his
domestic duties in the fall to go
south, the house was left unguard-
ed until the next year. This is a
far cry from today, for even the
country houses in the deep woods
are being taken over by t h e
starlings!
There were other feathered
friends who joined in with their
complaints; the flicker, bluebird,
chickadee, nuthatch, house wren,
crested flycatcher and others to
name a few. All complained of
the housing problem. Why, they
all asked, can't the so- called hu-
man world, who after all started
all this trouble, do something
about it?
And do something about it
we must. We are .guilty of tak-
ing away their natural homes,
so we must provide artificial
homes for them. So let's get
serious now, for bird houses are
a worthwhile project.
At the end of this article you
will find a list of measurements
from Cornell's Department of Or-
nithology which will help y o u.
Nothing is more worthless than
a birdhouse that is so ill- designed
and placed that the only thing
it attracts . is s t a r l i n g s and
sparrows.
Also, I am sure you have all
seen the gaudy colored bird
houses that are elaborately paint-
ed and have so much bric -a -brac
on them even the above -named
by Paul Stoutenburgh
Cutchogue
squatters would steer clear of
them.
Remember, whenever y o u
build try to use rough cut
lumber or better still slabbing
from the sawmill. This slabbing
is rather hard to get here on
the Island but wherever a saw-
mill is found elsewhere it can
usually be picked up gratis.
Second best is clear unpainted
wood,
Many a bird has been turned
away the first season of renting
by a lingering smell of linseed
oil and turpentine. Too often we
paint the houses the way we
would like them rather than think-
ing of what's best for the bird. If
you decide to use paint try to use
dull colors and one's that will
blend in with the surrounding
area.
Try to incorporate in the nesting
box some way of cleaning it. This
can be done either by hinging
them on the bottom or on the
top. I find the idea of hinging
them at the top most interesting
for I can lift the top up on oc-
casion to see the eggs and later
to see how the brood is doing.
A catch of some sort should be
provided here to keep the
squirrels and cats from opening
the •lid.
Also try to provide some
means of ventilation, for these
man made homes do not have
the insulating qualities that the
dead wood of a tree would
have.
Many times we overlook t h e
simple house that can be con-
structed from earthernware flower
pots. These make an ideal house
requiring little work. The only
thing necessary to complete them
would be a wooden back that the
flower pot would be attached to
by wire or bent nails. Break the
hole larger to accommodate the
bird you wish to attract.
Another ready -made house can
be made from gourds. Holes drill-
ed in these and hung in trees are
an invitation indeed to Jenny
wren.
One thing you must remem-
ber to keep away from when
building bird houses is using a
metal roof or making an entire
house of tin. This type :lf house
will turn into an ow s when
the hot summer days come
around.
To attract the robins, barn
swallows and phoebes, s h e l l s
should be placed in convenient
and safe •locations. Usually, under
the eaves of the house or garage
away from the everyday traffic,
prove most successful.
To attract a martin colony, a
special apartment house must be
built. Simple plans can be found
in the April Boys' Life Magazine
which most Scouts subscribe to.
In locating your house notice
there are definite measure-
ments above the ground and it
is interesting to note that most
birds adhere quite strictly to
these. The house should be plac-
ed as near as possible to where
the natural habitat would be.
Again I am afraid many bird
houses are put up in dubious
locations not for the comfort of
the bird but for the convenience
of the builder.
Now is the time to do some-
thing about this shortage of na-
tural nesting sites. A well-design-
ed house, properly located, will
pay for itself in years of enjoy-
ment.
Next week Mrs Martha Jane
Paul of Nassau Point will write
MEASUREMENTS F
Bird
Bluebird
Robin
Chickadee
Nuthatch
House Wren
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Purple Martin
Phoebe
Crested Flycatcher
Hairy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Flicker
Screech Owl
Barn Owl
Sparrow Hawk
Wood Duck
Depth of
Interior
8"
8"
7 to 10"
6 to 10"
6 to 10"
6"
6"
6"
8 to 12"
12 to 15"
8 to 10"
12 to 18"
12 to 15"
15 to 18"
12 to 15"
10 to 15"
on our local seaweeds. She has
done considerable research and
experimenting in the preserving
of them in the past few years.
This is a subject that many of
us should know more about.
FIELD OBSERVATIONS -- —
GREEN HERON — White's Lane,
Southampton (L R Ernest) April
17.
OR BIRD HOUSES
En-
trance
to floor
In- En-
terior trance Nest
Diameter Diam- to
eter Ground
6" 4x5"
open 6x8"
6 to 9" 31/4x4"
8 to 10" 33/4x11/4"
7 to 9" 4x51/2"
8 to 10" 4x51/4"
open 6x6"
6 to 8" 6x71/4"
open 6x6"
• 8 to 12" 51/4x61/4"
12" 6x6"
8"
12 to 16" 61/4x71/4"
9 to 12" 8x10"
4" 10x18"
12" 8x8"
3" 10x18"
11/2" 8 to
open 6 to
11/2" 5 to
1 s /s" 12 to
11/2" 6 to
13/2" 8 to
open 8 be
21/2" 14 to
open 8 to
21'2" 8 to
12 to
6 to
21/2" 6 to
10 to
12 to
10 to
6" 4 to
11/»
11 /"
31/2"
6"
3"
18'
15'
15'
25'
18'
30'
12'
60'
12'
40'
20'
20'
35'
30'
18'
30'
20'