The Bird Study Book

by T. Gilbert Pearson

Gourds and Boxes for Martins

It is not necessary, however, to buy boxes to put up for birds. Equally useful ones can be made in the Manual Training Department of any school, or in the basement or woodshed at home. If you do not know how to begin, you should buy one bird box and construct others similar for yourself. Men sometimes make the mistake of thinking it is absolutely necessary that such boxes should conform strictly to certain set dimensions. Remember that the cavities in trees and stumps, which birds naturally use, show a wide variety in size, shape, and location. A many-roomed, well-painted Martin house makes a pleasing appearance in the landscape, but may not be attractive to the Martins. As a boy I built up a colony of more than fifteen pairs of these birds by the simple device of rudely partitioning a couple of soap boxes. The entrances to the different rooms were neither uniform in size nor in shape, but were such as an untrained boy could cut out with a hatchet. A dozen gourds, each with a large hole in the side, completed the tenements for this well-contented Martin community.

Some Rules for Making and Erecting Bird Boxes.—Here are a few simple rules on the making and placing of bird boxes:

1. In all nest boxes, except those designed for Martins, the opening should be several inches above the floor, thus conforming to the general plan of a Woodpecker's hole, or natural cavity in a tree.

2. As a rule nest boxes should be erected on poles from ten to thirty feet from the ground, or fastened to the sides of trees where limbs do not interfere with the outlook. The main exception is in the case of Wrens, whose boxes or gourds can be nailed or wired in fruit trees or to the side of buildings.

3. Martin houses should be erected on poles at least twenty feet high, placed well out in the open, not less than one hundred feet from buildings or large trees.

4. All boxes should be taken down after the nesting season and the old nesting material removed.

Size of Bird Boxes.—As to the size of nesting boxes for various species, and the diameter of the entrance hole, I cannot do better than give the dimensions prepared by Ned Dearborn, of the United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.

DIMENSIONS OF NESTING BOXES
Species Floor Depth Entrance Diameter Height
of of above of above
cavity cavity floor entrance ground
_Inches Inches Inches Inches Feet_
Bluebird 5 by 5 8 6 1 1/2 5 to 10
Robin 6 by 8 8 [1] [1] 6 to 15
Chickadee 4 by 4 8 to 10 8 1 1/8 6 to 15
Tufted Titmouse 4 by 4 8 to 10 8 1 1/4 6 to 15
White-breasted
Nuthatch 4 by 4 8 to 10 8 1 1/4 12 to 20
House Wren 4 by 4 6 to 8 1 to 6 7/8 6 to 10
Bewick Wren 4 by 4 6 to 8 1 to 6 1 6 to 10
Carolina Wren 4 by 4 6 to 8 1 to 6 1 1/8 6 to 10
Dipper 6 by 6 6 1 3 1 to 3
Violet-green
Swallow 5 by 5 6 1 to 6 1 1/2 10 to 15
Tree Swallow 5 by 5 6 1 to 6 1 1/2 10 to 15
Barn Swallow 6 by 6 6 [1] [1] 8 to 12
Martin 6 by 6 6 1 2 1/2 15 to 20
Song Sparrow 6 by 6 6 [2] [2] 1 to 3
House Finch 6 by 6 6 4 2 8 to 12
Phoebe 6 by 6 6 [1] [1] 8 to 12
Crested
Flycatcher 6 by 6 8 to 10 8 2 8 to 20
Flicker 7 by 7 16 to 18 16 2 1/2 6 to 20
Red-headed
Woodpecker 6 by 6 12 to 15 12 2 12 to 20
Golden-fronted
Woodpecker 6 by 6 12 to 15 12 2 12 to 20
Hairy Woodpecker 6 by 6 12 to 15 12 1 1/2 12 to 20
Downy Woodpecker 4 by 4 8 to 10 8 1 1/4 6 to 20
Screech Owl 8 by 8 12 to 15 12 3 10 to 30
Sparrow Hawk 8 by 8 12 to 15 12 3 10 to 30
Saw-whet Owl 6 by 6 10 to 12 10 2 1/2 12 to 20
Barn Owl 10 by 18 15 to 18 4 6 12 to 18
Wood Duck 10 by 18 10 to 15 3 6 4 to 20

[1] One or more sides open.

[2] All sides open.

The foregoing list does not contain the names of all the kinds of birds which have thus far been induced to occupy these artificial nesting sites, but it has most of them. It should be remembered that hole-nesting birds are the only kind that will ever use a bird box. One need not expect a Meadowlark to leave its nest in the grass for a box on a pole, nor imagine that an Oriole will give up the practice of weaving its swinging cradle on an elm limb to go into a box nailed to the side of the tree.

Feeding Birds.—Much can be done to bring birds about the home or the schoolhouse by placing food where they can readily get it. The majority of land birds that pass the winter in Canada or in the colder parts of the United States feed mainly upon seeds. Cracked corn, wheat, rice, sunflower seed, hemp seed, and bird seed, purchased readily in any town, are, therefore, exceedingly attractive articles of diet. Bread crumbs are enjoyed by many species. Food should not be thrown out on the snow unless there is a crust on it or the snow has been well trampled down. Usually it should be placed on boards. Various feeding plans have been devised to prevent the food from being covered or washed away by snow or rain. Detailed explanations of these can be found in Bulletin No. 1, "Attracting Birds About the Home," issued by the National Association of Audubon Societies. Suet wired to the limb of a tree on the lawn will give comfort and nourishment to many a Chickadee, Nuthatch and Downy Woodpecker. To make a bird sanctuary nesting sites and food are the first requirements. There appears to be no reason why town and city parks should not be made into places of great attraction for the wild birds.