Evening star., 1947-03-04
This i and That
By Charles E. Tracewell.
VIENNA, Va

Dear Sir.
I'VE have two bird houses in our yard.
For days pair Of blue birds have been
going in and out OF one of the houses,
while a flock of the birds are flying
around the yard.
Gould the birds be building a nest
this early in the year? II haven't seen
them carrying sticks or grass, just flying
in and out and perching on the perch
looking in.
Another question, every year wren
builds nest in the other house, about
IS feet away. Will the wren chase the
blue birds away if the latter build their
nest before the wren does?
I'VE would like to have both birds in
the yard. We have a feeder in a tree,
also on window sill. The blue birds
never 60 near the food or the bird bath.
rs there special feeder for blue
BIRDS and where should it be placed?
I enjoy your column so much.
Sincerely yours, R. S."
Bluebirds start nesting very early,
usually about the first of March, but
they like to look over q situation before
deciding.
They may spend days at this, only to
give up at last and go some place else.
They are sensitive creatures, easily
upset by the presence of other birds.
Even the tiny wrens may drive them
away, although usually they are nesting
by the time the house wrens arrive.
Once nesting, bluebirds fight to retain
possession, the same as any other
species, and are not as easily driven out
as some good people think.
To hear some persons, you might
think bluebirds, for all their beauty,
or maybe because of it. lacked ordinary
bird gumption and intelligence Nothing
of the sort! The bluebird is not so
small, and he is perfectly able to defend
himself, even against the common SPAR
row. He is by no means helpless, al
though sometimes succumbing to the
numbers of the sparrows. One sparrow
after another flies in, and the bluebirds
at last give up.
This may be avoided, in some in
stances, by placing the bluebird nest
low. The average person wants to put
the nest at least 10 feet higher. Ex-
perts say that feet is better This may
seem rather low, and it is true that it
offers some danger from marauding
animals, but it will keep the sparrows
away, because the latter do not like to
nest so low
If the bluebird house is placed about
4 or feet from the ground, preferably
on post or tree trunk, the bluebirds
like it better than if put up higher.
Face the house south, if possible.
Rflt even at tha hacf M ono cI,o,,ll
be too disappointed if lowering blue
birds hover no longer, but fly away.
They are hard to keep Often there is
no apparent cause for their departure
We must accord them the privilege of
perfectly free creatures. Many of them.
deciding to go elsewhere, fly away to
the deep woods. where they build their
nests in holes of old rotten trees.
There is no special feeding arrange
ment for bluebirds, and so no particular
place to put feeding station.
Usually bluebirds are not much given
to patronizing feeders with other birds.
Occasionally they eat little suet.
Our own personal experience with
bluebirds has been meager. We never
saw one in our life until we moved to
Chevy Chase, Nd, in $780, Just after
we had put up beautiful white blue
bird house. with green roof, pair ar
rived. They spent all day flying in and
out the box, but eventually gave up,
and that was the last we saw of them.
Four cats in the yard may have made
up their mind for them, but these were
bird-admiring cats, and not given to
catching birds.
1t was the last bluebird we have ever
seen in the neighborhood, although re-
ports have come in Of bluebirds in fairly
good numbers being seen about q mile
north Of US, and half q mile south.