Evening star., 1947-09-24
This and That
By Charles E. Trace1uell

"xAVERIAN COLLEGE.
Dear Sir:
I'm your daily column you mention birds
quite frequently
Il am interested in constructing birdhouses
and am looking for the required information
Size OF the holes, area of the floor, depth and
how high I should place each from the ground,
etc.
The more common birds in this vicinity are
the mockingbird, field and song sparrows, and
the robin.
Yours truly, BROTHER PIERRE, c.F.x."
Fall and winter are good times to build bird
houses, so that they will be ready to put up
very early in late winter or early spring.
Whlle 1t Is true that mocker field and song
sparrows, and the robin are common birds in
Silver Spring, Md, none of these uses man
nulld house except the robin, and he not often,
The four best houses to build are those of the
house wren, the bluebird the crested fy-
catcher and the flicker.
These are so varied in size that many other
birds will take to them.
Making a house a bluebird will like. for
instance, with the proper sized entrance, does
not mean that bluebird only can take it over.
Other species OF approximately the same
size are free to fly in. The various sparrows
for instance, are fond of houses built for blue
birds.
If to these four houses are added a robin
shelf, the local birdlover will have done about
all in this respect that he can
*+**
Ihe flicker house is made according to the
following plan: Floor of box, 7 by inches.
depth of box, 16 to 18 inches. diameter ~
entrance hole, inches: hole above floor, IA to
10 nches, and height of box above ground, 8
to 20 feet
This woodpecker box should have q handful
OF shavings left in 1t. It is best made out of
thick soft wood.
The crested fycatcher box is constructed as
follows: Floor by 6 inches; depth, to 10
inches; diameter of hole, inches; hole above
floor, 6 to inches; height of box above ground
8 to 20 feet. This house Is best covered with
bark.
The wren box is made as follows: Floor, 4 by
= inches; depth, to inches: hole, above floor
S to inches; diameter of hole, l inch and
height of box above ground, to 10 feet.
The bluebird house is made as follows: Floor
by inches; depth, 8 inches; diameter of
hole, n inches; hole above floor, inches,
and height above ground, to 10 feet prefer
ably low.
Robins will not use closed box, but like a
sort of shelf, placed at from to Is feet above
the ground. This bracket has floor of by 8
inches a depth of inches. 1t must be open on
three sides, with roof and q solid back, and
the roof may be left off If the shelf is to be
placed under a roof ledge.
The above measurements were worked out
by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
In this vicinity the two best houses to put
out are those for bluebird and wren. These
are the sizes most commonly sold, especially
by drug and hardware stores in the spring.
Birdhouses offer every opportunity for
decoration but are best confined to natural
finish, or to white, green, brown and gray.
house painted pure white, with dark blind
green roof, makes neat offering to the birds
These houses should be finished and put in
place during the winter or at least not later
than February.
This gets the smell OF paint washed off by
rain and air, and makes them firm for the
sharp clawed ones.
The common desire is to place bird houses
too high. Good results have been secured by
putting bluebird houses, and wren houses too,
no higher than four feet from the ground.