Evening star., 1944-09-18
This and That
By Charles E. Trdce,oell.


SOUTH DAKOTA AVE. NE.
Dear Sir:
Il am a Boy Scout and am inter-
ested in building bird houses. Will you
please tell me which, birds are most
likely to occupy rustic types of bird
houses?
Sincerely, G. A. s."
Birds which naturally nest in hollow
trees, posts and stumps are most likely
to be attracted by rustic bird houses.
These include the house wren, the
various woodpeckers. the bluebird,
chickadee, tree swallow. and the purple
martin.
Usually the martin house, however, is
made OF smooth wood. and painted
white. This is because it is best placed
out in the open, on high pole, where
it gets plenty of SUM-
The reflective power of the white
paint helps keep the martin colony
house cool.
The truth about the relative merits
of houses with the bark on and the
houses made out of smooth wood is
that the former are best for most birds
which will occupy bird houses at all.
They are the most natural.
Even shelves, as built for robins.
phoebes and barn swallows, are best
made in the rustic style.
If smooth wood is used, 1t should be
painted a dark green or brown. Some
times gray may be achieved which
blends very well with natural surround-
ings.
The little downy woodpecker is one
which Is best attracted by a bark -cov-
cred house.
There was Baron Won Berlepsch-
one OF good Germans, in the days when
there were such things-who attracted
so many German woodpeckers that his
house became known as the "Berlepsch
box"
He made it by splitting a section of
log in two and following out the in
terror with a chisel to form a gourd-
shaped cavity
This enlarges toward the bottom. The
sides are notched, to give the bird easy
access.
The two halves are fastened together,
and roof put upon it, The house is
best placed on the trunk of q tree in
wooded place. An orchard is sup
posed to be best but unfortunately not
every birdlover has an orchard.
satisfactory house for the downy
may be made from ordinary wood, ac-
cording to the following plan:
Floor. by 4 inches: depth of box. 8
to 10 inches: diameter of entrance, IL
inches; height of hole above floor, 6 to
inches. and height of box above
ground, to Is feet
II bark can be tackled on, so much the
better. Let us point out again that the
rustic type OF box is best for all birds.
Shelves for the robin are made as
follows: Floor. 6 by 8 inches: depth, 8
inches; height, from ground, to Is
feet. preferably the latter.
Shelves for barn swallows are slightly
smaller, with floor about by 6 inches,
and depth of inches. They should
be placed about 8 to IL feet high.
Such shelves are best made with open
front and sides, with a roof supported
by two uprights at the front corners.
The roof Is about inches from the
floor. The bird thus has access from
three sides. The back is solid. A slight
bit OF shelving may be put around the
edge of the floor.
Trying to attract the tree swallows Is
good sport. 1t is said that the only
reason we do not have more of them is
that they are unable to find good nest
ing sites.
rustic house may be built for them
on the following plan: Floor, by S
inches; depth Of box, 6 inches; diameter
of hole, IA inches; hole above floor, 5
inches, and height Of box above ground,
to Is feet. This is a good house for
persons living close to water, Is these
birds make their dinner Of water insects
The houses may be placed on posts in
the open, and q number Of them put
comparatively close together. In . sort
Of colony.