Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1913-04-01
Now Put Up Bird Houses.


and heating boxes. It would have beer
better to erect them last fall with little
warm material In the bottom OF each, %
that woodpeckers, nuthatches or chicka'
dees could find warmth and shelter dur
ing the long cold winter nights. But
where English sparrows are numerous
they usually find and occupy such boxes
In the winter, fll them up with nesting
material early In the spring and drive
native birds away. II the boxes are put
up now the native birds will have some
chance to keep the sparrows out.
Let no one fail to put up bird boxes
because of the expense. Any boy car
make them and the material needed
costs little II anything. The blue6ird
martin, tree swallow, wren, nickei'
chickadee, screech owl, and wood duck
all nest naturally In hollow trees or cav
tiles in tree limbs.
A hollow branch, FIVE or more inches
inside diameter, trimmed from an apple
tree, may be made into several excellent
nesting boxes by saving 1t into sections
each foot or more long, mailing on
each section piece OF board or shingle
for roof, plugging the bottom, cutting
a hole oh one side near the top for the
entrance and fastening it upright to
tree, q building or pole. Old tomato
cans, small milk cans and even flower
pots may be used In similar manner II
they be put up In the shade; otherwise
the sun will overhead the young birds. A
few shingles, bits of boards or any elon'
gated small wooden box like deep
cigar box will make . nesting box
that will last for one season or more.
Pieces Of slabs from the sawmill, nailed
together to form a rectangular box, with
height greater tran width, will make an
attractive rustic bird home.
Nesting boxes may be constructed
from bark, IL provided with q solid bot
tom and top to nail the bark on. Each
nesting box should have . watertighi
TOD, but the bottom need not be &c
tight. The entrance hole should be not
less than one inch In smallest diameter
for wren, one and ons-half inch fol
bluebirds or swallows, two inches for
martins, three inches for Q flicker and
four inches for a screech owl or wood
duck. The entrance may be round,
square or oblong and it is better to have
the roof jut over 1t two or three inches
to shed the rain. The costly boxes and
bird houses made by manufacturers OF
such goods are better than most OF ths
homemade ones, but they are not essen.
tisl, az the birds usually are not fastidi'
GUS, provided the box and the entrance
hole are large enough and the domicile
affords safe shelter from sun, wind and
rain.
Many people have been led to believe
that birds are shy of painted houses be-
cause of the smell or appearance of the
paint, but this is an unimpOrtant detail.
Birds that usually nest in hollow trees
naturally 20 to q weathered nesting box,
but sometimes the same birds prefer a
painted one. Any bird house that is ex'
posed constantly to the sun on pole
should be painted in light colors SO that
it will not so readily absorb heat. In
such situation house with double
walls is a protection to the birds.
Boxes built on the European plan and
shaped internally like woodpecker's q
hole are excellent. 1t Is best to have
some way Of opening the box so that un-
desirable tenants may be readily evicted.
The last annual report of the Massachu.
setts State Ornithologist which may be
obtained of the Secretary of Agriculture,
State House, Boston, tells how trouble.
some English sparrows may be disposed
of.
Small shallow open boxes about five
inches inside diameter put up under an
open shed roof in grape arbor or even
under broad caves frequently are accept
ed for nesting places BY robins or barn
swallows. A cleat or little shelf nailed
on barn rafter or even q lath nailed
across two rafters will help the swallows
to nesting place when rafters are too
smooth to offer safe points of attach.
ment for their mudbuilt homes.
EDWARD HOWE FoRBUsH.