Part 2

Following are specifications and remarks on the housing requirements of the birds by species. For related forms not included in the table see text.

_Table I_ Diameter Depth Diameter Distance of from of from interior entrance entrance ground to (inches) (inches) (inches) entrance (feet)

House Wren 4¼-5½ 7-9 1 8-18 Black-capped Chickadee 3¼-4 7-9 1-1/8 8-15 White-breasted Nuthatch, 3¾-4½ 8-10 1½ 12-25 Tufted Titmouse Tree Swallow 4-5½ 6-8 1-3/8 8-30 Eastern Bluebird 4-5 8-10 1-5/8 8-20 Crested Flycatcher 5½-6½ 9-12 2-1/8 15-40 Flicker 6½-7½ 12-16 2½ 10-35 Purple Martin 6-7½ 6-8 2-1/8-2½ 12-14 Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser 7½ 12-15 4 10-20 Sparrow Hawk 6½-7 14-16 3 20-50 Saw-whet Owl 6-7½ 14-16 2-7/8 15-45 Screech Owl 7-8 14-16 3¼ 15-30

_Nesting Box_

Common House Finch 4½-6 Open 10-30

_Nesting Shelves_ Width Length Height (inches) (inches) from ground (feet)

Robin 5-6 8 or more 8-30 Phoebe 3½-4½ 7 or more 8-20

TOP (INSIDE): 7¼^IN. x 7¼^IN. EDGE: ¾^IN. x 9^IN. SIDE: x 4¼^IN. FRONT (INSIDE): x 5¾^IN. {HOLE DIAMETER}: ¾^IN. BACK (OUTSIDE): 7^IN. x 5¾^IN. BOTTOM: 4¼^IN. x 4¼^IN. CONSTRUCTION THE FASTENING ON FRONT OF LID THE HINGE ON BACK OF LID

The House Wren

Nesting in all sorts of nooks and crannies, the House Wren is easily satisfied. Moreover, this is often the only desirable species which can be induced to build in so civilized and restricted a place as a small city lot. Slab construction may be employed or old weathered boards used, but new lumber seems nearly or quite as welcome to the wren.

Plate III illustrates a wren house and gives directions for building. Distance from the ground to the entrance of the house should be from 8 to 18 feet. The place safest from cats is on the side of a building. If the box is on a tree or wooden post, protection is afforded by a band of smooth sheet metal such as zinc, 2½ feet high, starting not less than 4 feet from the ground or other point that is within reach of cats.

Two or three wren houses spaced as far apart as the yard or garden allows will provide for the duplicate, unused, nests which these birds often build, or for a possible second brood.

_Other Wrens_

For the Bewick's Wren, which commonly nests around gardens, barns, and dwellings, the building directions are the same as for the House Wren.

The Carolina Wren of the south, more inclined to seek woods and thickets than to court man's society, is not ordinarily a bird house tenant. Still, a home like that described for the House Wren, but with the entrance having a diameter of 1¼ inch, is not unlikely to be selected by the Carolina if placed in a brushy area frequented by him and not much frequented by humans.

The Black-capped Chickadee

Lacking the semi-domestic status of wren and martin, the Black-capped Chickadee is not a regular bird-house addict. He prefers the seclusion of some unfrequented wood. Yet, not uncommonly, he is enticed by a bird house. The specifications and illustrations for the wren house will do for the chickadee. However, a cylindrical and smaller chamber with somewhat larger entrance (1-1/8 inch) is more likely to appeal to his uneducated taste. He is still a bird "with the bark on," and his house should be quite literally in keeping. The author personally much prefers to select a hollow branch, from which he cuts a foot-long section. He then drills an entrance hole near one end, nails a piece of slab in place for the bottom, provides a removable lid of the same material, and thus constitutes himself a proxy for the Downy Woodpecker in providing the chickadee with a home. (See Plate II.)

A wood lot or a neglected old orchard bordering a wood is the place for the chickadee house. See Table I for measurements.

_Other Chickadees_

The Mountain and other chickadees share the natural nesting habits of the Black-cap. Since this group is composed of birds of practically uniform size, a house for any species should be the same as that described for the Black-cap.

However, chickadees are in general birds of the woods. Few or none come so near to being birds of "home grounds" as do the Black-caps. Houses for them, therefore, will be appropriate chiefly about woods homes or camps.

The White-breasted Nuthatch

All that has been written of the chickadee and his housing problem applies also in a general way to the Nuthatch, except that a slightly larger entrance is needed for the latter bird (see measurements in Table I). The Nuthatch, somewhat more than his second cousins, the chickadees, is given to natural knot-holes in living trees. This propensity may well be humored by giving him a house of the hollowed-out trunk variety. If the trunk or branch so hollowed out has a knot which can be made of proper size to serve for the entrance, then that is to add the ultimate artistic finish, the final delicate "touch of nature." See Plate II.

_Other Nuthatches_

The western subspecies of the White-breasted Nuthatch occur chiefly in less settled or more restricted ranges, and they are apt to be less accustomed to, as well as less accessible for, bird houses.

The Red-breasted, Brown-headed, and other small nuthatches share the hollow-tree nesting habit common to the family. They prefer locations of the wilder kind, so that the usual bird house is not likely to entice them away from less sophisticated haunts. Yet it appears likely that any of the species might select an imitation of its natural nesting site. Build as for the White-breasted, except that the entrance should be but 1¼ inch in diameter.

The Tufted Titmouse

The Tufted Titmouse is common in the south, where its distribution is also much more uniform than in the north. In some places it has pushed far toward our northern border, but there it is inclined to be of only local and irregular occurrence. In general it becomes more and more a bird of the wilder areas as it advances northward. Usually a wood or woodside location will be the one most likely to entice this species to a bird house. When and where the bird is found to linger about residences toward the nesting season, the houses may be placed much as for the bluebird or wren, but in a very quiet corner of the yard. Dimensions are given in Table I (page 16). See also Plates II and III.

The Tree Swallow

The Tree Swallow is often a bird of the small city, but may be expected more dependably in the country or in the rural community. He is easily satisfied as to a nesting place but it is sometimes difficult or impossible for him to find a nook about our dwellings which is safe from the English Sparrow's intrusion. When nesting about inhabited buildings he cannot well afford to dispense with the vigilance of his human landlords. Small, quiet, and peace-loving, he is a particularly poor match for the pugnacious sparrow. Specifications for the Tree Swallow house are given in Table I. See also Plate III. The inner wall, between floor and entrance, must be rough or provided with cleats, in order to give the young a sure foothold. Several pairs of Tree Swallows will willingly nest near one another.

_Other Swallows_

For the beautiful Violet-green Swallow build exactly as for the Tree Swallow. Where, in the west, both species occur, there is the chance that a house intended for the Violet-green will be taken by the Tree Swallow. This chance, otherwise more than an even one, may be lessened by catering to the Violet-green's observed choice of local haunts. Barn Swallows will sometimes use ledges, such as those described for the Robin (page 29), when these are sheltered.

The Eastern Bluebird

Beautiful, cheerful, demure, raising two or more broods in the season, always a picture of "content in a cottage," the Bluebird is the all-round ideal tenant for the simple bird house. He is, however, not a bird of the city, nor always a bird of the village garden. The suburbs, especially the more secluded spots therein, suit him much better. He tends, and that with ample reason, to shrink from the society of English Sparrows whose rough, aggressive manners and harsh notes introduce discord into his naturally calm and peaceful existence. By all means provide a house for this peerless tenant; also be prepared to lend him all possible assistance in policing his property until the eggs are laid. Once the precious eggs are deposited, trust the prospective parents to defend their treasure; for even the Bluebird is no exception to the general rule that a brooding bird will readily put an erstwhile successful bully to speedy and inglorious flight. See Plate III and Table I for housing the Bluebird.

To provide for a second nesting and possibly a third, the procedure should be the same as that described for the House Wren. See, therefore, directions given for that species.

_Other Bluebirds_

The Western Bluebird fills the same role on the ranges and ranches that is taken on the smaller farms of the east by his eastern namesake. Build and place the house for the one precisely as for the other. The western bird seems much more inclined than the eastern to adopt nesting sites in or close to human dwellings.

The Mountain Bluebird will use the same type of house; its location, of course, should correspond with the local haunts of the species.

The Crested Flycatcher

There is a peculiar satisfaction in successfully providing a house for those species, such as the Crested Flycatcher, which do not ordinarily resort to artificial nesting sites. It is something of a "feather in the cap." Select a dilapidated orchard or an out-of-the-way woodside as a location for the Flycatcher's house; place the house and await the results with expectations not too sanguine. Should fortune favor you with an opportunity to watch these birds building, remember to look for the famous dried snake skin almost invariably worked into the nest by this species, not forgetting that the reason for its use is still one of the mysteries. Measurements for the Flycatcher's house will be found in Table I. See Plates Plate II and Plate III for styles of house recommended.

The Flicker

In general the woodpeckers choose to build their own houses. But as the Flicker is so unlike other woodpeckers in appearance and in certain of his well-known ways, it is not surprising to learn that he will readily take possession of an artificial bird house. Naturally, a woodpecker (and the Flicker is that) is scarcely an exception to the rule that bird-house tenants prefer something along the general lines of a woodpecker's work. A section of a hollow trunk or branch of the proper dimensions inside may easily be transformed into an ideal Flicker house. Next best is the dugout type illustrated in Plate II. Finally, the semi-cylindrical or even rectangular house will do very well if the other specifications are about those given in Table I. The country or the suburbs, not too near to a residence, is the right environment for the Flicker.

A Flicker which took possession of a house I had placed for Crested Flycatchers spent days in audibly widening the rectangular chamber until a soft bed of chips was provided to receive the eggs. The moral is--make the sides of thick, soft wood, and let even a woodpecker furnish his own bedding. However, one or two handfuls of coarse sawdust thrown into the Flicker house will be quite welcome to this bird.

The Purple Martin

This is the only desirable colony-forming bird-house tenant. Therefore the apartment type of house is a waste of material unless intended for Purple Martins and designed accordingly. Of the desirable bird-house clientele, none is quite so sophisticated as the Martins in the matter of a satisfactory location. If it is only so much as a biscuit-toss from the ground, the martin house may grace a bandstand, a village railroad station, or a busy village square. The house itself may be one of those adapted doll houses, complete with chimneys, windows, fancy doorways, and whatnots, ornate in fluted columns, bizarre in lightning rods and weathercocks, pretentious with elaborate porches and other gewgaws, and gaudy with rainbow tints. Go as far as you like, the Martin will pace you. However, for those who would consider the bird's point of view to be of greater importance than their own, appropriate suggestions are offered in Table I and in Plate IV. If painted white the house will be cooler and may be preferred by the birds. The reader should be advised that Martins are temperamental and will sometimes refuse to occupy a suitable house because of some dislike for its situation. Furthermore, Martins sometimes inexplicably abandon a locality where they have previously been abundant.

The Tree-nesting Ducks

In suitable locations artificial sites may be provided for any of the several wild ducks which ordinarily nest in hollow trees. These ducks, as breeding species, are mostly northern, the Wood Duck being almost the only one which regularly nests, except at the higher elevations, very much south of the northern United States border. The Hooded Merganser may appropriate the house intended for the Wood Duck, and vice versa.

The location is of first importance. This should be a secluded wooded stream or body of water. The stump or tree which is to form the support for the house, and also the entrance to the house itself, should be in plain sight from the water. It may be a hundred feet from the nearest shore, but the nearer the shore the better. A lone trunk, or one of several on the edge of a wood, will do. Avoid placing the house too near the ground. Further specifications are given in Table I and Plate V.

Hawks and Owls

We have alluded to undesirable tenants, meaning usually, or in particular, the English Sparrow and European Starling. There is also another class of possible bird-house occupants to be dealt with--the owls and the Sparrow Hawk. The owls and the hawks are usually considered taboo on account of their fondness for the smaller birds which most persons wish to encourage. One does not ordinarily keep cats and canaries in the same restricted and common area and expect pleasing results. Yet, it may be quite another thing if an estate is large enough to provide sufficient wild cover. Owls and hawks are as interesting as other birds, and a wood, suitable in size and character, which lacks the quota of owls or hawks natural to it will always be lacking in one of its most proper assets and characteristics. To the true nature lover a great wild forest from which owls are excluded might seem, at best, an arboretum where there might as well be a name tag on each tree-trunk.

An occasional nesting site for owls in a wood of many acres, an appropriate box or two for Sparrow Hawks in a waste tract or along a few hundred yards of woodside will invite us to visit these places more often and will provide a new zest to the visits. At the same time, we are but following nature's way of balancing the wildlife. Nor will the smaller birds be seriously affected; there may be a tendency for many of them to move in a little closer toward our dwellings for increased safety.

A house for small owls and the Sparrow Hawk should follow the lines of the house illustrated in Plate V, size of entrance and other dimensions being given in Table I.

The Common House Finch

The several western and extreme southwestern forms of the native House Finch may, for our present purposes, be grouped with birds like the Robin and Phoebe which find such a number and variety of chance but suitable nesting sites that to provide still others may seem superfluous effort. And yet, to see the bright red of the Common House Finch and to hear his cheery song, say, in the heart of a city like Denver where one looks only for English Sparrows, is to be tempted to offer this citizen a more "desirable property" than the water-spout or other chance nook or cranny in which he may otherwise elect to build. The most successful is the open or semi-open type of nesting box, as shown in Plate VI, Nos. 1 and 2.

Robin and Phoebe

These birds are not classed as bird-house tenants. When they nest in a building, it is nearly always a deserted human dwelling or some other structure made originally for man's own use. In other words, the only sort of bird house at all likely to attract Robin or Phoebe would be one of cavern-like proportions in keeping with one type of natural site which both species favor, especially the Phoebe.

The architecture of most human dwellings is such that either Robin or Phoebe would find nesting-sites, as they often do, over windows, under porches, or about eaves. But birds are not very considerate of the human liking for cleanliness, and their nests therefore are often placed where we least desire them. To lessen that chance and to furnish nesting-sites when they do not otherwise occur on a given dwelling or outbuilding, the following suggestions for nesting shelves are offered. The idea of nesting shelves is not a new one, and experience shows that an effective nesting shelf may be of almost any description.

The accompanying illustrations will fully explain themselves. However, it is well to emphasize here that the simplest possible shelf, if only a mere cleat, is all that is really required--5 to 6 inches wide for the Robin, 3½ to 4½ inches wide for the Phoebe; any length of 8 inches or over for either bird.

The Robin often nests more than 25 feet up, the Phoebe seldom so high. Place the Phoebe's shelf 8 to 20 feet up, the Robin's 8 to 30 feet. Should the locality be in the country, one must chance a Phoebe claiming a shelf intended for Robins; either species should prove desirable as a tenant. Certainly cultivators of cherries, currants, and other small fruits may well console themselves should Phoebes become their uninvited guests! The Phoebe is a true flycatcher and has none of the Robin's special fondness for garden fruits.

Bird Baths

Birds are inveterate bathers. Bathing is the daily habit of Robins, Catbirds, goldfinches, Song Sparrows, and most other small species, whenever facilities are available. Artificial baths are most important where other bathing places are distant or inadequate. In times of drought, birds will resort so eagerly to baths as to form an almost continuous daily procession.

The bird bath lends itself to endless variations in size, shape, style, material, and cost. Often one may find a large boulder which, at the expense of moving to the desired spot, will prove a ready-made bath if it has a shallowly concave side. Or such a water basin may be chipped out of a rock by a stone mason. Smaller stones, flattened and more or less scooped, are common along many streams. One of these stone slabs, mounted on a pile of supporting stones, makes an excellent bath. Failing that or as a matter of taste, a massive shallow basin may be cast in cement to take the place of the natural slab. A pool may be provided by lining with cement and surrounding with stones a prepared spot in lawn or garden. See illustrations. If desired, running water may be piped to any style of bath. Whatever type the bath may be, the following rules strictly apply.