Bird Houses Boys Can Build Part 3

FOODS.

Food shelters become centers of interest in proportion to the number of birds attracted to them. The kind of food placed there determines in time the kind of birds that will be found frequenting them.

Seed-eating birds are readily attracted by the use of small grains such as oats and wheat. However, every farmer finds a quant.i.ty of weed seeds upon cleaning his seed grain, which proves very acceptable to chickadees and blue jays. Bread crusts or crumbs, crackers and doughnuts may be placed in the food shelter with the knowledge that the birds will eat them. For those of the city who would need to buy seeds, it will be just as well to get hemp, millet, canary seed and sunflower seed, together with the small grains and cracked corn for foods. Suet, sc.r.a.ps of meat and various vegetable sc.r.a.ps, such as celery, lettuce, apples, raisins, and the berries of various bushes, if they can be obtained, are relished. Bluebirds seem fond of meal worms such as develop in old cereals. All birds require water and frequently suffer because this is not to be had. If it is possible to meet this need a great service is rendered. Finally, when the ground is snow covered, many birds appreciate a supply of sand and finely ground poultry grit. Many birds are lost each winter because of insufficient food during inclement weather, that if cared for would remain near neighbors in the summer to wage war upon insect pests.

BIRD BATHS.

The best bird baths have to meet two requirements: (a) clean, fresh water, and (b) safety from enemies. Almost any shallow dish will meet both requirements if properly placed and cared for.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 62. THE PALM GARDEN EXHIBIT OF BIRD BATHS, ETC., ST. PAUL, MINN.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 63. (CONCRETE BIRD BATH)]

Fig. 62 shows several baths made of concrete. The pedestal and basin are made of two separate pieces, and are cast in a form or mold. A more difficult concrete bath is shown in Fig. 63. This project is made in four pieces. The base consists of two parts, the bottom being cast in a form made of 1/2" or 7/8" stock. The upper part is "swept up" by means of the templet shown, which revolves about an iron rod or a dowel-rod firmly fastened above, and held below in a hole bored in a temporary base of wood. The column is cast in a mold made of sheet tin or galvanized iron run thru tinners' rolls, and held by means of several wires twisted about it. When this is being cast two pieces of iron rod are inserted as shown which are to pa.s.s into both bowl and base to make the whole job firm. The bowl may be swept by either of two methods. The first consists of the making of two templets. With the first templet a core of clay is swept up of the desired depth and diameter. Then concrete is placed over this core, which has previously been treated to a coat of oil. Woven wire is cut into a circular shape and bent to approximate the curve of the bowl. More concrete is placed over this, and swept up by means of the second templet. Some difficulty will be experienced in removing the templet if undercut as much as shown; however, the mark where it was taken off can easily be troweled smooth again. The finished pieces are now a.s.sembled with a small quant.i.ty of "neat" cement in each joint. The second method for making the bowl begins with the making of templets cut on the opposite side of the outline, as compared with the first method. A box is then nailed up and a clay or plaster-of-paris base made. This is oiled, and the concrete put in place. In this case a wetter mixture than in the first case should be used. The second templet is then used to strike off the inside of the bowl. After this has set the pieces may be a.s.sembled as before.

BIRD ENEMIES.

One sometimes wonders that birds manage to exist and to actually increase in numbers. Possibly the first group of enemies should include men and boys who kill adult birds, leaving the fledglings to starve, or who rob the nests of eggs. It is the writer's belief that every boy who makes one or more of the projects in this booklet, and sees it occupied, will become one of a growing number who will care for instead of destroy the birds of his neighborhood. Further, if every man who now thoughtlessly or willfully destroys birds, knew the real money value of the work birds do, he would build or buy houses and food shelters to increase Nature's best friends to mankind.

The second group of enemies include ants and other vermin which at times infest nests and nesting boxes, snakes, squirrels, mice and rats. Protection against this group is afforded by bands of tin about the pole, or spikes of wood or metal pointing downward so that access is impossible by climbing up the pole. Another protection is to make the entrance holes small enough to admit only the occupant for whom the house was intended. Of course, the houses for the larger birds must be protected in other ways. Charles Tesch of Milwaukee suggests a sticky fly paper compound made of resin (melted) and castor oil as a preventive for the inroads of the small red ant, if suitable support is available.

The final group consists of the two worst foes of bird life, cats and English or house sparrows. If you really value the birds that have been reared in the house you have built you may need to get up _early_ more than one morning when the youngsters leave the nest to protect them from the highly respectable (?) tabby that lives possibly next door if not at your own house. It often comes to a choice between cats and birds: and the cats may be disposed of in two ways--the right kind of box traps for the homeless and unknown robbers, and an air rifle with sufficient "sting" for the trespa.s.ser from next door. A few lessons of this kind usually have some effect.

The English or house sparrow was introduced into this country about a half-century ago. It has spread over practically all of the United States and Southern Canada. Possibly no bird has exhibited such powers of adapting itself to new conditions. The sparrow is no respecter of places for locating its nest. It lives on a variety of foods changing from one to another as the necessity arises. In spite of opposition, this bird is constantly on the increase, so much so that in many cases more desirable native birds have been obliged to leave. The sparrow is filthy and quarrelsome, and lives mainly upon valuable small grains in every case where this is possible. There are two methods possible which afford partial relief: (1) traps and (2) driving them away with an air-rifle. Traps are usually successful for a comparatively brief time, since the sparrows soon a.s.sociate the trap with danger and so avoid it. A very successful type of woven wire trap is advocated by the Department of Agriculture but is probably beyond the ability of the average boy to make well. It sells by commercial manufacturers of bird supplies for about $4.00. This trap works all the year around as it depends upon the attraction of food. Fig. 65 gives a simple, yet effective trap. However, it requires the presence of some hidden observer to spring it at the right moment. Another type of trap is based upon the nest-house idea. Its effectiveness is limited largely to the nesting season, though it may be used by the birds for shelter.

One of the most efficient traps was invented by Charles Tesch, of Milwaukee, Wis. Its principle is that of a tipping chamber leading into a sack thru a chute. Fig. 64 gives the dimensions to be followed in making such a trap. The inventor says that the bag should be far enough away from the box to make certain that the victim has no chance to tell the others what happened to him by chirping, otherwise they will no longer enter the trap. The box must be perfectly tight in order to prevent drafts from issuing thru the entrance which will cause sparrows to keep away. If a few feathers are glued or sh.e.l.lacked to the tipping chamber floor, the sparrow is often attracted more strongly. The bag should be examined frequently to liberate bluebirds and wrens, who may have been caught.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 64. (SPARROW TRAP)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 65. (SPARROW TRAP)]

However, fighting bird enemies without the cooperation of neighbors is not an easy matter. In the case of sparrows, so many more are left that traps alone are ineffective. An airgun properly used offers some help in the city to drive them away from the premises, while a shot gun or 22 caliber rifle are more effective in the country. If every sparrow nest were torn down and no place given them in your neighborhood, the pest is likely to avoid your grounds. Finally, keep nesting boxes free from sparrows while the owners are away for the winter.

BIRD HOUSE EXHIBITIONS.

Many cities are beginning to do excellent work along the lines of bird preservation and attraction. This usually leads into an exhibition or contest, though many times quant.i.ties of houses are made and sold for other purposes, such as raising money for athletic suits for the school teams.

At Cleveland, Ohio, a large number of houses such as are shown in Figs. 15-19 were made for the city Bird Lovers' a.s.sociation to be placed in the city parks. The boys received the profits of the sale after materials were paid for. In the Mercer Center, Seattle, Wash., the boys wanted suits for the "team." Bird houses were made in dozen lots for a large department store, and soon the boys had all the money the suits cost. Fig. 36 shows a group of 7th grade boys with the houses made in two cla.s.s periods of two hours each. At St. Paul, Minn., the annual exhibit has become a larger affair than the automobile show. This year it will be held in the city auditorium which seats 10,000 people. The city council will pay the rent of this building for a week and the boys will see that it is filled with bird houses. Up to date (March 11, 1916) over $1,000 worth of orders have been taken for houses to be delivered after the exhibition. Fig. 62 shows the palm room at the St. Paul exhibit in 1915. The county making the most bird houses in 1915, so far as has been reported, was Allegheny County, Pa., where approximately 15,000 houses were produced. Fig. 67 shows the prize winners in a department store contest at Pittsburgh, Pa., while an exhibit in the same city is shown in Fig. 66.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 66. THE PITTSBURGH EXHIBIT.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 67. PRIZEWINNERS IN DEPARTMENT STORE CONTEST.]

s.p.a.ce will not permit giving extended rules for such contests since the rules must vary with each city. Briefly, there should be provision made to give all compet.i.tors an equal chance. Boys of the 6th grade should meet others of that grade. Prizes may be awarded for the best houses made for the more common birds, such as wrens, bluebirds, and martins. These should be judged as to adaptability or fitness to purpose, amount of protection afforded to birds, good workmans.h.i.+p and artistic merit. A prize might be awarded to the boy whose house has the first pair of birds nesting in it. Prizes may be of many kinds, but tools and books, as well as cash prizes are often given by local business men.

WHERE MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED.

U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Division of Publications: Bird Houses and How to Build Them, Bulletin No. 609; Fifty Common Birds, Bulletin No.

513 (15 cents); The English Sparrow as a Pest, Bulletin No. 493.

Magazines which have published articles on birds and bird houses: Bird Lore; Country Life; The Craftsman; Elementary School Teacher; Ladies'

Home Journal; Manual Training and Vocational Education; Outing; Outlook; School Arts Magazine; Something To Do; The Farm Journal; The National Geographic Magazine; Youths Companion.

National a.s.sociation of Audubon Societies: Leaflets, photographs, advice.

Liberty Bell Bird Club of The Farm Journal, Philadelphia, Pa.: Leaflets, books, pictures, supplies, inspiration.

Public Library: Reed, "Bird Guide"; Blackburn, "Problems in Farm Woodwork"; Chapman, "Bird Life"; Hiesemann, "How to Attract Wild Birds"; National Geographic Society, "Common Birds of Town and Country"; Trafton, "Methods of Attracting Birds."

Catalogs of Bird House Companies: Audubon Bird House Co., Meriden, New Hamps.h.i.+re; "Bird Architecture" Crescent Co., Toms River, N. J. (20 cents); Joseph H. Dodson, 728 Security Bldg., Chicago, Ill.; "Bird Houses Large and Small," Mathews Mfg. Co., Cleveland, Ohio; Charles E.

White, Box 45B, Kenilworth, Ill.; The Wheatley Pottery, 2429 Reading Road, Cincinnati, Ohio.