Evening star., 1944-03-09
This and That
BIZ Charles E. TraceDeU.
CHEVY CHASE. Md

Dear Sir:
1--WE have feeding station In the
garden, painted red, but the birds do not
go near it. Is it because it is painted
red? have put crumbled bread crumbs
out there all winter. Please advise me.
Yours truly, M. NJ"
Birds do not like red, either on feed
ing station or birdhouse
Probably the only species which is at
tracted by this color is the humming-
bird. Plenty of red gladioluses in the
garden will lure the hummers.
Other species shy away from it.
The best color for either feeding sta
ton or birdhouse is dark green, the tint
often called blind green"
Next in popularity with the birds is
dark brown, and then gray. Ordinary
bark color Is one of the best.
White is acceptable to most species.
Implanted wood soon darkens to a
pleasing weathered shade.
Wrens like dark green houses Eff
forts to mix colors, and thus attract diff
ferent species by approximating their
feathers, are not particularly appre-
ciated by the songsters. This idea best
pleases the painter, rather than the bird
We have seen many feeding stations
and birdhouses painted bright red, and
at no time have ever seen a bird in
them
That does not mean that birds may
not come to such painted structures.
We say only that we have seen none in
them.
Red is a color SO startling in nature
that it is no wonder birds tend to shy
away from it. 1t is the color of revolt
and danger and perhaps the flyers have
some way of knowing this.
Colors which blend well in the out
doors are the best for all to attract the
birds. This is why soft browns and
grays are prime. They are exactly the
sort of thing which nature knows SO we'll
how to paint. No one can go wrong
who sticks to them.
Other colorS may or may not keep the
songsters away. White is color, or
rather lack of color, which at times seems
to offend some species. We have told
here how a mass of cottage cheese,
placed in a well-patronized feeding sta
ton, kept all the birds away until it was
removed.
A piece of paper, accidentally blown
to within a short distance of feeding
place, will sometimes have the same ef-
feet Yet, as stated bluebirds will come
to white birdhouse Whether they re-
main, of course, depends more upon the
birds themselves than upon the white
ness This is shy bird and difficult to
handle
Bluebirds show up about March Is, so
houses designed for them should be put
out Immediately.
1t is best If they have been out all
winter, getting the smell of the outdoors.
The diameter of the entrance of a
bluebird house should be l12 inches.
The floor should be 5 by 5 inches, the
depth of the box 8 inches and the hole
inches from the floor.
The bluebird box should be placed
from to 10 feet from the ground.
Low placement, about feet, is said to
be favored by the bluebirds, and to help
keep sparroWs away. The latter do not
like low position for their nests
A man who made a great success of
Turing bluebirds has this to say:
The best results are obtained if the
box is erected not over 3 or 4 feet above
the ground and preferably nailed to a
solid fence post, facing south or south
east. You will be more successful with
fence posts than you will if you nail the
box to the side of a tree
We believe that persons dwelling in
the solid city might well put up bluebird
houses, not SO much to attract those
beauties as to get English sparrows. In
many places these little fellows are the
only birds and one might as we'll be kind
to them. 1t is impossible to study them
closely without recognizing their virtues.