Part 6

The bluebird covers the floor of her house with grasses to the depth of about an inch and a half. Away back against the rear wall she makes the little hollow in which she lays her eggs. I make her entrance one inch and a half in diameter, and just below the middle front. While brooding she can look outside, and this affords her some diversion during that monotonous task. This certainly seemed to be what one bluebird aimed at who nested in Mrs. Daily’s wren house. The wad of grasses in that house reached clear up to the entrance, which was about four inches above the floor. Apparently this bird had tried to build her nest high enough so she could look outside.

Wrens always make a litter several inches high of twigs and other materials. In this litter they embed their nest of fine grasses and feathers. Hence I conclude that they want their entrance several inches above the floor, so that, on going in, they can walk over the litter and do not have to grope through it. Being small birds they need only a small house. After years of experimenting I have settled on five inches by seven for wrens also, but their house is so shaped as to afford height. The sides run up at the back to twelve inches. A half-inch hole high on each side affords ventilation. I make the entrance one inch and an eighth in diameter, just too small for the English sparrow, but large enough to serve some other small bird should no wrens come. A smaller entrance makes it difficult for wrens to get in their bulky nesting materials. My wrens raised three broods in their little house in the pear tree last summer.

A friend of mine bought a wren house which has a low entrance. Some wrens nested in it. One day Father Wren was very much excited, but no one could understand what was the trouble. The next day, believing that the wrens had fledged their young, my friend ordered the house to be cleaned. To her horror she found Mother Wren wedged in among the nesting, dead. The babies were dead in their nest. Evidently their increasing weight had settled the nesting materials so the mother could not get out any more and neither could Father Wren go in. Let this be a warning to all who make wren houses, to make the entrance several inches above the floor!

My houses for wrens and bluebirds are so made that they can be easily opened after use, and cleaned. The front on the wren house can be raised, that on the bluebird house lowered. By means of a screw eye, the front is securely closed while the house is in use.

Of late I have also used an open shelter. It consists of a tray about five inches square, roofed over, and serves two purposes. For winter use I fasten a small wire pocket on it, into which I put beef suet. Then I mount this shelter about five feet high on a tree. Around the trunk I fasten strings of peanuts; in the tray I keep shelled corn, of which cardinals are especially fond. The English sparrow does not care for the suet, and as he cannot manage the corn nor the peanuts, this feedery attracts only desirable birds. In March I remove the wire pocket, and mount the shelter a few feet higher, to serve as a nest shelter for robins. The roof will ward off heavy rains, which destroy so many robin’s nests. A similar shelter, if fastened in the shade on a wall, might attract phœbes.

When one starts out to make bird houses he should decide first of all what birds he wishes to attract by means of them. Booklets containing drawings and instructions for making houses for many kinds of house-nesting birds can be had free by addressing a postcard to the Biological Survey, Washington, D.C.

Whoever tries to attract birds should also protect them from storms, from their natural enemies, and from meddlesome people. Birds will sometimes reject a good house because it is not properly mounted, or because the location is objectionable. The boy and I visited a park lately where about a hundred bird houses had been put up, and but a few were said to be occupied. These houses were so constructed that, by turning a cleat underneath, the floor could be pulled down and out. If occupied, opening them in this way might have disturbed the nest. We visited twenty-five of these houses. All except two were mounted so low that the boy could reach them, some with ease, and turn those cleats. Only the two which he could not reach were occupied.

Some people have recommended tin cans as nest boxes for small birds. I have tried the tin can, carefully painted and placed in the shade. But, even with these precautions, I would discourage its use. People are so apt to forget about placing it in the shade! I have seen birds’ nests in tin cans with little skeletons embedded in them, the birds having been smothered by the intense heat which metal will store.

Enough wooden boxes are discarded by grocers, druggists, and other merchants to stock the country every year with bird houses. If our fathers and mothers will encourage the making of these discards into bird houses, shelters, and feederies, it will mark a step forward in bird protection.

Food houses should be protected so that other animals cannot mount and monopolize them, keeping the birds at bay. The red squirrel will do this unless the food tray is at least five feet above ground and the post well sheathed in tin.

My newest food house has the lid of a cheese box as tray and the top of a sugar barrel as roof. This flat surface is a handy place for a basin of water. In each of the four pillars supporting the roof is a hole, to be stuffed with suet, cheese, peanut butter, etc. My grocer saves the drippings from his peanut grinder for my birds, so there is no extravagance in giving them this dainty. Song sparrows and bluebirds like it as well as the woodpeckers. On the side of the tray I tack nesting material. So this food house, made out of waste materials, serves several uses. The boy liked it so well he patterned one after it for his birds.

Every autumn a lisping, whispered, dreamy bird song coming from some low elevation has puzzled me. The bird looked like the song sparrow, but this soft warble was so different from his spirited spring and summer songs that I could not believe my eyes. After repeated autumn entries in my notebook, “I see his heavy breastspot heave and swell, and his tail quiver as the song sparrow’s always does when he sings,” I was gratified to find my findings confirmed by another observer.[4] The singer was the song sparrow.

But to return to my bird family.

From the time the first birds arrive in the spring until they leave again, my notebook and my field glasses are my constant companions. Now here are some little nature secrets. My notebook is a green one. I have to buy the paper in large sheets of the wholesaler, and make the books myself. A green notebook on my lap does not make such a striking patch on the landscape as a white one would. The birds do not notice it so readily. Then, whenever I am out “birding,” except in winter, I wear green clothes. When taking pictures I use green focusing cloths instead of the usual black ones. These things are great helps in bird study.

There now! For the first time in this book I have used the word “study” in connection with birds. Some people think they must study volumes on ornithology before they can enjoy birds. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Even the little tot in a family may have an interest in his bird neighbors that will provide him wholesome pastime. I know one who, ever since he could walk well, has faithfully kept the birds’ bath in the yard supplied with fresh water, and who saves all the table scraps for them. He wears an Audubon button and says he is “the birdies’ policeman.”

Love, look, listen, appreciate; let these be your watchwords. Just love the birds. Look, as long as they remain in sight. Observe their ways and their appearance. Listen to their songs. Try to know your immediate bird neighbors by appearance, name, and song. Do them a kindness when possible. This will lead up to recognition of birds, which creates a desire for study of them. The rest will follow. You will begin to record observations. You will _wish_ for field glasses and bird books. You will _want_ to spend your holidays and your vacations where you can see birds. Before you realize it you will be one of those happiest of individuals, a nature lover, as all true bird lovers are. It cannot be otherwise, because the birds will draw you out to nature at all times, and make you see her in all her moods.

Then some day, when everybody loves birds, perhaps they will no longer hide their nests, and may even fly to us, instead of away from us.

GLOSSARY

apartment, room, living quarters.

Audubon, John James Audubon, noted student of bird life.

authority, one who has commanding knowledge of a subject.

berating, scolding.

Berlepsch, family name of a nobleman who was noted for his kindness to birds.

bewildered, confused.

birdling, a baby bird.

blending, mixing.

bluster, play the bully.

bungalow, a one-story house.

chickfeed, a mixture of cracked grain.

clamber, climb awkwardly.

commotion, disturbance.

conjecture, guess, suppose.

convenient, suitable, handy.

cornice, the fancy topmost part of a wall, usually overhanging.

courageous, full of courage, brave.

craw, the crop; part of a bird’s throat through which his food passes.

crouching, lying flat or very close to the ground.

delving, making holes by digging; working hard.

demonstration, a show.

distinguished, notable, unusually fine.

distressed, troubled.

entice, coax, persuade.

evidently, plainly, clearly.

fetch, go and bring back.

fledge, (_a bird_) to reach the age when its feathers are grown, so that it can fly; to care for a bird until it reaches that age.

fledgling, young bird, just out of the nest.

forage, seek for food.

frantic, wild with fear or alarm, or even with joy.

genial, friendly, kindly.

gingerly, cautiously, carefully.

goal, the place one is going to.

guttural, throaty, hoarse.

hepatica, a spring flower, also called _liverwort_.

inflection, change in the pitch of the voice.

insanitary, unhealthful.

inspect, examine, look into.

intruder, a meddler, outsider, stranger.

larvæ, caterpillars, grubs.

lore, knowledge.

mandible, a jaw, upper or lower, especially of a beak or bill.

manicure stick, a small smooth stick of orange wood, used in caring for the finger nails.

matins, morning songs.

menace, danger.

minor tone, low, soft, sad tone.

minstrel, a traveling musician.

monopolize, to own, to possess alone.

monotonous, tiresome.

morsel, a mouthful, a bit of food.

Neufchâtel, a city in Switzerland famed for the manufacture of cheeses.

nimble, active.

notional, full of notions, whimsical, “cranky.”

obedient, willing to obey, dutiful.

odious, disagreeable, unpopular, offensive.

opportunity, chance.

ornithology, the scientific study of birds.

pastime, amusement, play.

pergola, garden house.

persecution, pursuit with the object of punishing or hurting.

pilfering, thieving.

pleading, begging.

plumage, feathers.

preen, smooth down feathers with the beak.

premises, piece of land belonging to somebody.

primitive, old-fashioned.

prospect, view, outlook, scene.

provisions, food.

rasping, harsh, grating.

ravine, small valley made by running water.

relent, yield, give in, forgive.

revenge, return of evil for evil.

revive, bring back to life.

rippling, moving up and down or back and forth, like water.

rung, step (_of a ladder_).

sanctuary, refuge, shelter, place of protection.

serene, quiet, calm.

sibilant, high, piercing, hissing notes.

soot, a fine black powder left by smoke on the inside of chimneys.

stealthily, secretly.

subdued, overcome, quieted.

subsist, live on.

suet, beef fat.

syringa bush, an ornamental shrub with very sweet white blossoms.

tapering, narrowing to a point.

temporary, for a short time.

tenants, dwellers, occupants.

tethered, tied, leashed, hitched to a post or weight.

tinker, work at anything in an unskilled way.

tin-sheathed, enclosed in tin sheeting.

tolerate, put up with, endure.

transfer, remove.

trellis, lattice work for vines to grow on.

trilling, quavering (_said of singing_).

underbrush, small trees and bushes growing under large trees in a wood.

ventilation, letting in fresh air.

venture, risk, attempt.

vespers, evening songs.

vigilant, watchful.

vise, clamp.

winsome, charming, pleasing.

yodeling, warbling, singing with frequent changes from high to low and low to high.

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING BIRD HOUSES

The figures given below are based on ½″ lumber, except the backs of wren and bluebird houses and the base and roof of martin house, which should be ⅞″ thick.

_Back_ _Sides_ _Front_ _Floor_ _Roof_ _Entrance_ _Air Hole_

Bluebird 4″×10″ 5″×7″ 4″×5″ 4″×5½″ 5″×8″ 1½″ dia. ½″ dia. in house and 7″ 4½″×8″ in middle peak of gable front gable Wren 4″×14″ 5″×7″ 4″×7″ 3½″×4″ 7″×8″ 1⅛″ dia. ½″ dia. in house and 12″ sloping 5″ above each peak floor

For picture of bluebird house, see inside back cover; for picture of wren house, see page 39. The sides of both houses are nailed to the edges of the back in such a way as to let the back project below, about one inch.

In the bluebird house, the upper edges of the sides should be beveled to fit the slope of the roof. The front of this house is hinged upon a one-inch brad driven in, on each side, a half-inch above the lower corner. To enable the front to swing downward, as shown on page 116, the floor must be fastened in place three-fourths of an inch above the lower edge of the sides. Before nailing on the roof, see that the front swings easily. Bore half-inch holes in the projecting back below and above, for wire to run through to strap the house in place. Add a perch of doweling a half inch below the entrance. See figure on inside back cover.

The wren house is also provided with a swinging front, hinged like that of the bluebird house, but with the brads placed one inch from the upper corners so that it opens up instead of down. This is shown on page 116. The upper part of the back of wren house is planed flush with the sloping sides, and the roof is planed flush with the back. The air holes on each side will also serve for wire to run through. Other holes for this purpose should be bored in the projecting back at the bottom. Again see figure on page 116. Add a perch of doweling a half inch below the entrance.

The holes in the backs should be about an inch apart on the surface and should be bored at an angle, so as to lead the wire snugly around the trunk. When the houses are put up for use, the front of each is securely closed by means of a screw eye on the side, which can be easily removed for the purpose of cleaning. Bluebird and wren houses should be in shade or part shade, about ten feet above ground, and mounted so that the upper part tilts slightly forward.

_Base_ _Box for _Rooms_ _Entrances_ _Pole_ _2 Posts_ lower story_

Martin 30″×30″ 7″×20″×20″ 6″×6″×7″ 2½″ dia. 4″×6″×16′ 4″×6″×11′ house 1″ above floor

In the center of the base a hole 4″×6″ is cut to fit the pole upon which the house is to be mounted. Two cleats are nailed underneath the base, crosswise of the boards and plumb with either side of the 4″×6″ hole. The box for the lower story is partitioned into nine compartments, each 6″ square and 7″ high. This gives eight outside rooms and a central space through which the pole may go. In order to provide ventilation near the ceiling, make the partitions only 6½″ high. They need not be nailed, but may be dovetailed, like partitions in an egg box.

To make the house so it can be easily opened, for cleaning or to rout the English sparrows, fasten the box for lower story in the center of the base by means of screw eyes and hooks, two on a side. The projecting part of the base will form a 5″-wide porch all around, a convenience which martins greatly enjoy. The ceiling is allowed to project 2½″ at the front and back to form porches for the upper rooms. Add a gable ample enough to afford at each end a room 6″ wide and 7″ high. In the upper end of the partition between these two rooms, cut a hole 2½″ in diameter. The reason for this is stated on page 88, paragraph 2. The slanting roof should project 2½″ all around. Finish it with a flat top as shown in the first cut on page 128. Add posts 1″×1″×4″ on which to staple wire or doweling as perches for the martins. Fasten these little posts to the flat roof by screws from beneath, before nailing it to the house.

Now fit the pole to the central space and screw it securely to the cleats under the base, and the pole with the house on it is ready to be set up. The martin house should be at least fifty feet away from a tree or building, and fifteen feet above ground.

To mount the martin house so it can be easily let down to be cleaned or to rout the English sparrows, place the two posts four inches apart and have them at least six feet high. Set the pole holding the martin house between them and secure it with two bolts about four feet apart, the lower bolt being 1½ feet from the ground. To lower the house, remove the lower bolt and tilt the pole, as shown in the second cut on page 128. The posts should be creosoted and sunk five feet in cement.

This cut shows a block and tackle being used to tilt the pole. A further precaution against having the house crash to the ground would be a shears made of rough two by four scantling, which can be obtained in twelve-foot lengths. In making the shears, bolt the scantlings two feet from the top with an ordinary half-inch carriage bolt, and tie the bottoms so the legs will not spread too much.

INDEX

B Bird Calls: Baltimore Oriole, 73. Bluebird, 29, 32, 34, 35, 56. Bluejay, 52. Bob White, 99. Brown Thrasher, 75. Cardinal, 104-107, 109. Cedar Waxwing, 94. Chickadee, 16. Chimney Swift, 59, 64, 66, 67, 110. Crested Flycatcher, 96. Downy Woodpecker, 12. Flicker, 48-50. Goldfinch, 56, 76, 77. Junco, 99. Killdeer, 52. Meadowlark, 54. Nuthatch, 14. Pewee, 98. Phœbe, 97, 98. Purple Martin, 80, 84, 85, 89. Redheaded Woodpecker, 73. Song Sparrow, 54, 119. Wood Thrush, 50. Wren, 4, 8, 38, 41. Blackbird, 75. Bluebird, 18-20, 24-35, 45, 46, 54-56, 110, 112-115, 119. Bluejay, 17, 52, 99, 100, 110. Bob White, 98, 99, 110. Boy, The, 18, 19, 38, 44-61, 67, 90, 92-101, 117. Bunny (_See_ Rabbit).

C Canary, Wild (_See_ Goldfinch). Cardinal, 102-110. Cat, 9, 10, 23-26, 32, 40, 41, 45, 57, 69, 70, 99, 106. Chickadee, 16, 17, 20, 46, 52, 56, 103, 111.

D Dog, 21, 22, 101.

E Eggs, 8, 38, 47, 55, 60, 82, 107.

F Flicker, 47-50, 111. Flycatcher, Crested, 94-96, 110. Food for Birds, 2, 3, 5-8, 12-17, 23, 24, 33, 34, 47, 52, 58, 60, 64-67, 73-75, 83, 90, 92, 93, 99-104, 107, 108, 115-119. Foodhouses, 93, 94, 99, 100, 115-119.

G Goldfinch, 56, 73, 75-77, 110.

H Hawk, 85, 86, 90. Hawk, Marsh, 48. Helps in Bird Study, 11, 72, 119, 120.

J Junco, 99, 103, 111.

K Killdeer, 47, 52, 53, 110. Kitty (_See_ Cat).

M Martin, Purple, 46, 47, 58, 78-91, 110. Meadowlark, 54, 110.

N Nest and Nestings: Baltimore Oriole, 73. Bluebird, 30-32, 35, 38, 45, 54-56. Bluejay, 52. Brown Thrasher, 74, 75. Cardinal, 106, 107, 109. Cedar Waxwing, 94, 96, 97. Chimney Swift, 59, 61-63. Flicker, 48. Goldfinch, 56, 75, 76. Killdeer, 53, 54. Phœbe, 97. Purple Martin, 78, 82. Redheaded Woodpecker, 73. Robin, 3, 8, 9, 68, 69. Wood Thrush, 50, 51. Wren, 3-5, 8, 36-43, 45. Nesthouses, 17-20, 24-26, 29-31, 111-115, 117, 118. Berlepsch house, 94-96. Bluebird, 18, 19, 25-27, 29-32, 35, 46, 112-115. Chickadee, 46. Crested Flycatcher, 94-96. Purple Martin, 46, 78-91. Woodpecker, 46. Wren, 3-5, 18-20, 26, 29, 36-43, 45, 46, 112, 114, 115. Nest Shelter, 117. Nuthatch, 14-16, 103, 111.

O Oriole, 58, 72, 73, 110, 112.

P Pewee, 98, 99, 110. Phœbe, 97, 98, 110, 117. Pigeon, 2. Protection, 10, 15, 23-27, 30, 32, 38, 45, 48, 56, 69-71, 117.

R Rabbit, 21-23, 101. Robin, 2, 3, 8-11, 47, 58, 68-71, 110, 117.

S Sparrow, English, 2, 25-27, 32, 35, 37, 38, 40, 45, 54, 56, 79-82, 84, 86, 88, 115, 116. Sparrow, Song, 54, 92, 93, 110, 119. Squirrel, Gray, 25. Squirrel, Red, 15, 24-27, 45, 69, 118. Swallow (_See_ Swift and Purple Martin). Swift, Chimney, 59-67, 110.

T Thrasher, Brown, 58, 73-75, 110. Thrush, Wood, 47, 50, 51, 110.

W Waxwing, Cedar, 94, 96, 97, 110. Woodpecker, 2, 11-14, 17, 20, 46, 52, 119. Woodpecker, Downy, 11-14, 23, 111. Woodpecker, Golden-winged (_See_ Flicker). Woodpecker, Hairy, 12, 111. Woodpecker, Redheaded, 58, 73, 74, 110. Wren, 3-8, 11, 18-20, 24, 26, 29, 33, 36-43, 45, 110, 112, 114, 115.

FOOTNOTES

[1]Dr Francis H. Herrick, author of “The Home Life of Wild Birds.”

[2]A still better plan for lowering a martin house is described on page 127.

[3]These dimensions have been accepted and approved not only by my own bluebird neighbors, but by a bluebird pair reported in _Bird Lore_ for July-August, 1916, as having nested in a cemetery, in an earthen jar that lay upon its side on a grave. The report goes: “The jar measured five inches across the bottom and about seven inches in length.” There it is: five by seven!

[4]Chas. R. Wallace of Delaware, Ohio, in _Bird Lore_, March-April, 1915, p. 128.

Transcriber’s Notes

—Silently corrected a few typos.

—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication.

—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_.