Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-06-29
This and That
By Charles Z. TrdcepeH.
"THIRTY-sECOND STREET

Dear Sir:
RE some bird problems:
Il. Do young robins 60 to SCHOOL, For
five consecutive days a pair of robins
attempted to build nest in a red oak
directly in front of my house. All this
time the sidewalk underneath was clut-
tered with bits Of grass and paper and
the branches underneath the nesting
site festooned with same. At various
times they appeared to be trying to
attach bits Of mud as an anchor for the
nest, but at no time were they able to
establish a base that would hold. The
last day they succeeded in draping a
large bunch of grass over the limb but
following a heavy downpour of rain
which matted 1t down into soggy
mass several inches from the site, they
appeared to have given up. wondered
whether this was merely practice with
out any intent to establish a real home.
=. Hanging from low limb 1 have
had shallow earthenware flower pot
with a wooden back, the opening at the
bottom Of the pot being the size Of a
quarter, in which house wrens used to
build. One day recently heard small
bird issuing distress calls such as when
4 cat or other intruder Is around. IN
vestigation disclosed a chickadee flying
back and forth and lowering momen-
tarily in fror2 of the entrance of the
pot. My first thought was that some
enemy of the bird had gotten into the
wren house Shortly. however, the head
of the mate appeared and with some
difficulty squeezed through and the
trouble was over. Was the trouble
caused by aperture being too small and
the mate fearing the bird inside was
permanently trapped?
g. For two years the wrens have not
occupied this nest Later, after above
incident a pair appeared and started
singing and nest building as formerly,
only to discontinue after about three
days. Should I take the nest down for
a house cleaning? Gould yellow jackets
or other insects have rendered the abode
uninhabitable7
Very truly yours, L. r."
Our rs cent piece, or quarter, is just
a little short Of an inch in diameter.
The entrance OF q chickadee house is
supposed to be IA inches.
The entrance Of the wren house
should be about an inch. Sometimes u
of an inch is recommended.
It may be realized that q chickadee
would have some time in getting in and
out of wren house hole.
This would be particularly the case
If the entrance were at the bottom or
near the bottom on the side.
Entrances to bird houses should be
near the top of the box, not near the
bottom, since The nesting material is
quite bulky and would cover UP the hole.
Our correspondents chickadee I'M
doubtedly had time of 1t to get into
hole slightly less than an inch, and
without doubt the mate understood,
with the wisdom of centuries, that he
might have some difficulty in getting out
again.
All bird houses should be cleaned out
in the fall, so that they will be ready
for nesting operations in early spring.
There is no advantage in leaving the
old nest In. The nesters simply have
the added work of cleaning it out before
they start to build new nest. This,
too Is ancestral wisdom. The lice and
excrement Of the summer make no good
materials for the new generation.
Often birds give over trying to use
house when they find the job of CLEAN
Ing it up too difncult. Wrens, In par
ticular. are temperamental probably
they said to themselves, ut would be
easier to start q nest some place else
Birds of all species often make sew
eral attempts before they are able to
make nest to their own satisfaction.
In some cases they may appear to be
going to school, as our correspondent
puts 1t, when they are not, but are
simply handicapped by lack of proper
materials, or instability due to the in
judicious selection Of what Is available.
Robins are notorious for building on =
nat surface, II they can ind 1t. In
stead Of building house for them, .
robin shelf is the thing; it Is merely 4
12-inch square, with . roof and back,
but no sides or front. The nest Is Z
thick bowl, made OF mud reinforced with
leaves, Ia which are woven string, paper,
ram and laave6