Constructive Construction Tips: From Birdfeeding 101

Constructive Construction Tips:
From Birdfeeding 101
One of the most widespread misconceptions in the birdhouse-building trades is the perch at the entrance door. Traditionally, perch sticks or rods have been placed at the entrance for a bird to land on prior to entering the nesting space. I have no idea whose idea this was originally, but it was a design that people made into a standard.
No matter how cute this looks, it is not necessary or advised. Think about it—cavity-nesting birds historically built their nests in vacated woodpecker holes and natural tree cavities. Have you ever seen a woodpecker hole with a 2-inch dowel rod at the door? Birds are very capable of entering a nesting box entrance hole without optional foothold designing.
That perch is nothing but an invitation for predators to sit comfortably and harass adults or eat the young nestlings or eggs. So the first rule of thumb when building a nesting box is leave the perch rod out of your design and off your masterpiece.
Building a nesting box is much more complicated than slapping together a few pieces of wood. Design function is much more important than design appearance. You need to build a nesting box for a particular species. To do this you need to know a few of the requirements each species expects to accept a nesting site.
Hole size is also very important. Again, I must stress that birds have never read the books and they often do not know how to act, but certain birds are attracted to certain size openings.
One of the most important aspects of caring for birds is cleaning up after them. This is true in feeding and housing them. For this reason it is very important that you incorporate in your nesting box design an opening that allows for cleaning out old nesting material and for observing nesting stages. In most cases a simple side opening using two axle nails will suffice. Also, a removable roof is often used. A design allowing a side or front to drop open makes much more sense. Using this method the box can be easily cleaned and the nest inspected. A nesting box wall that opens from the roof, or the side/front, opening up like a garage door, obscures the view and handicaps the cleaning approach to the box.
Predator-proofing a box is essential. Most successful nesting boxes have been given ample thought and testing for predator access. Any access door to the box must be securely fastened so a raccoon or other predator cannot pull it open. Most raccoons do not carry screwdrivers, so screwing the access door shut is the best method. Most predators will climb on top of a box and sit comfortably while they harass and try to reach the occupants. For this reason it is suggested you make that setting as uncomfortable as possible. Try using carpet tacking on the roof. Also, it is important to extend the reach to the targeted nest. You can do this using several methods. A wide roof is the most obvious. Many builders use a predator guard. This is a second piece of wood with a matching diameter hole that is attached directly over the nesting box entrance hole. This again extends the reach yet does not bother the birds as they enter and exit the box.
Some of the same methods used in feeder protection have been tried in the nesting box problem solving: greased poles, baffles, barbs and bullets. But the better method is good engineering. You will see in this chapter as we concentrate on certain species and designs that successful nesting box designers have considered all of the problems birds must face to pull off a brood or two each year and fine-tuned preventative measures to a point of almost guaranteed fledgings if followed.
Birds live outside so you would think they would be experts at handling foul weather, but that does not mean they wouldn’t be more successful if you took weather problems into account as you designed a nest box for them. High mortality is a way of life for birds. Nature designs it that way. Birds are a very important food source for many other critters. Weather takes more of a toll on birds each year than most people consider. When discussing a perfect nesting arrangement, weather must be a factor. The overhang we discussed to extend the predator reach also functions as a wind and rain guard. Good drainage and ventilation are important to keep adult birds and their young warm and dry and cool so they don’t fry. Place several drain holes in the bottom of nesting boxes and several ventilation holes near the side tops.
Weather is also a consideration when deciding the materials you will use to build the better birdhouse. Galvanized nails sound good but they easily loosen as wood expands and contracts. Screws and ring shank nails are a much better choice. Cedar is a popular choice of construction material. It is soft and easy to work with and is weather resistant. Using scrap material is a good idea but never use treated lumber. Birds that might choose to nest in a nesting box constructed of treated lumber are at risk of being poisoned by vapors produced when the material is exposed to the elements.
Insulation is an important part when providing shelter for birds. A thick-walled nesting box creates its own insulation factory. Using metal or thin plastic jug materials will attract birds and produce successful nests, but it is advised to place these units in shaded areas.
A rough surface should be created on the inside just below the opening of the nesting box to help fledglings exit when it’s time for flight lessons. Also, on the inside you can soap the ceiling. This will discourage wasps from taking over the box.
In the fall leave the box open and exposed. If you choose to leave nesting boxes closed up, you will invite many winter residents to take over the structure for the winter. Field mice and squirrels will take up residence, and then you have the job of evicting them in the spring when your birds are expected back. They do not often take this action lightly and will come back and destroy egg production. It is a much wiser management decision to just build your field mice and squirrels their own box and monitor them also.
When building nesting boxes always count your fingers before and after cutting material. You should have the exact same number when complete. --Keep Smilin', Dick E. Bird

The Hunt and Peck Report

Watchable wildlife is not limited to the suburbs or the countryside. There is plenty of opportunity to find critters in the big city. I have seen reports come through of mountain lions in L.A., coyotes in the Bronx, cougars that stalk pets and people in large cities and black bears in Denver and New Jersey. Black bears have killed garbage cans in numerous cities.

Chicago deer are as thick as the geese. In Baltimore a buck charged into a playground filled with children and demanded equal time on the monkey bars. One winter a moose killed a man on the campus of the University of Alaska after students harassed the animal for hours.

Beaver have been busted in such cities as Houston and Dallas harvesting park benches. They have been known to fell expensive trees to dam up swimming pools. Coyotes are represented from sea to shining sea, the Bronx to L.A., from Dallas to Chicago. They eat trash and pets, which are both easily found in all those locations.

Vultures are found in many large cities also. They clean up a lot of messy situations but they also create some with their droppings.

Poisonous snakes show up in many cities. In the spring many new homes seem inviting to rattlers. Cottonmouths and copperheads are also a problem in the South.

Non-migrating geese I don’t even have to tell you about. They are overpopulated everywhere.

A raccoon was recently captured by police after a low-speed chase in a Bronx subway station.

Besides all the wildlife usually not assumed to be city dwellers, we have all the birds that are. With millions of people feeding birds all over North America, many yards become an oasis for birds. Many large living complexes have rules about feeding birds in larger cities and often in those cases tenants practice underground, clandestine birdfeeding, which they feel is their constitutional right.

Birdhouse Constructive Construction Tips

From Birdfeeding 101
One of the most widespread misconceptions in the birdhouse-building trades is the perch at the entrance door. Traditionally, perch sticks or rods have been placed at the entrance for a bird to land on prior to entering the nesting space. I have no idea whose idea this was originally, but it was a design that people made into a standard.
No matter how cute this looks, it is not necessary or advised. Think about it—cavity-nesting birds historically built their nests in vacated woodpecker holes and natural tree cavities. Have you ever seen a woodpecker hole with a 2-inch dowel rod at the door? Birds are very capable of entering a nesting box entrance hole without optional foothold designing.
That perch is nothing but an invitation for predators to sit comfortably and harass adults or eat the young nestlings or eggs. So the first rule of thumb when building a nesting box is leave the perch rod out of your design and off your masterpiece.
Building a nesting box is much more complicated than slapping together a few pieces of wood. Design function is much more important than design appearance. You need to build a nesting box for a particular species. To do this you need to know a few of the requirements each species expects to accept a nesting site.
Hole size is also very important. Again, I must stress that birds have never read the books and they often do not know how to act, but certain birds are attracted to certain size openings.
One of the most important aspects of caring for birds is cleaning up after them. This is true in feeding and housing them. For this reason it is very important that you incorporate in your nesting box design an opening that allows for cleaning out old nesting material and for observing nesting stages. In most cases a simple side opening using two axle nails will suffice. Also, a removable roof is often used. A design allowing a side or front to drop open makes much more sense. Using this method the box can be easily cleaned and the nest inspected. A nesting box wall that opens from the roof, or the side/front, opening up like a garage door, obscures the view and handicaps the cleaning approach to the box.
Predator-proofing a box is essential. Most successful nesting boxes have been given ample thought and testing for predator access. Any access door to the box must be securely fastened so a raccoon or other predator cannot pull it open. Most raccoons do not carry screwdrivers, so screwing the access door shut is the best method. Most predators will climb on top of a box and sit comfortably while they harass and try to reach the occupants. For this reason it is suggested you make that setting as uncomfortable as possible. Try using carpet tacking on the roof. Also, it is important to extend the reach to the targeted nest. You can do this using several methods. A wide roof is the most obvious. Many builders use a predator guard. This is a second piece of wood with a matching diameter hole that is attached directly over the nesting box entrance hole. This again extends the reach yet does not bother the birds as they enter and exit the box.
Some of the same methods used in feeder protection have been tried in the nesting box problem solving: greased poles, baffles, barbs and bullets. But the better method is good engineering. You will see in this chapter as we concentrate on certain species and designs that successful nesting box designers have considered all of the problems birds must face to pull off a brood or two each year and fine-tuned preventative measures to a point of almost guaranteed fledgings if followed.
Birds live outside so you would think they would be experts at handling foul weather, but that does not mean they wouldn’t be more successful if you took weather problems into account as you designed a nest box for them. High mortality is a way of life for birds. Nature designs it that way. Birds are a very important food source for many other critters. Weather takes more of a toll on birds each year than most people consider. When discussing a perfect nesting arrangement, weather must be a factor. The overhang we discussed to extend the predator reach also functions as a wind and rain guard. Good drainage and ventilation are important to keep adult birds and their young warm and dry and cool so they don’t fry. Place several drain holes in the bottom of nesting boxes and several ventilation holes near the side tops.
Weather is also a consideration when deciding the materials you will use to build the better birdhouse. Galvanized nails sound good but they easily loosen as wood expands and contracts. Screws and ring shank nails are a much better choice. Cedar is a popular choice of construction material. It is soft and easy to work with and is weather resistant. Using scrap material is a good idea but never use treated lumber. Birds that might choose to nest in a nesting box constructed of treated lumber are at risk of being poisoned by vapors produced when the material is exposed to the elements.
Insulation is an important part when providing shelter for birds. A thick-walled nesting box creates its own insulation factory. Using metal or thin plastic jug materials will attract birds and produce successful nests, but it is advised to place these units in shaded areas.
A rough surface should be created on the inside just below the opening of the nesting box to help fledglings exit when it’s time for flight lessons. Also, on the inside you can soap the ceiling. This will discourage wasps from taking over the box.
In the fall leave the box open and exposed. If you choose to leave nesting boxes closed up, you will invite many winter residents to take over the structure for the winter. Field mice and squirrels will take up residence, and then you have the job of evicting them in the spring when your birds are expected back. They do not often take this action lightly and will come back and destroy egg production. It is a much wiser management decision to just build your field mice and squirrels their own box and monitor them also.
When building nesting boxes always count your fingers before and after cutting material. You should have the exact same number when complete. --Keep Smilin', Dick E. Bird

Why Feed Birds

I am often asked why so many people find it important to feed their wild birds. Is there not enough natural food to go around? The answer to the natural food question is usually yes. In most areas wild birds can eke out an existence on what Mother Nature provides. So could you for that matter, but I usually see most of you in the cookie aisle at the grocery store.

The food we provide for our backyard buddies is usually high quality, easily accessible, and a welcomed energy source for wildlife that is often already stressed in many ways by loss of habitat and continual change to their environment, which they have no control over.

The majority of us feed our wild birds because we want them close. They are a source of enjoyment that continually entertains and amazes us. Those who contend that birds can find all they need in the wild, fail to mention it might be a little hard to find the wild anymore. What happens if you’re a bird and your wild turns into a planned unit development? The first thing I’d do is head straight for a yard full of bird feeders and settle down.

Many of the birds you enjoy all summer spend the winter in the Amazon rain forests trying to survive in an ever-decreasing habitat in that part of the world. We feed birds for many reasons, but one has to be an inner need to come close to nature, to experience its complex simplicity, and to take an appreciation from it. What we put out for them not only fills out their diet but also feeds our soul with a much-needed reminder that we too are a part of this circle called life.

It is estimated that 80 to 100 million people are feeding wild birds in North America. It is the fastest growing pastime of the decade. It is almost un-American not to have a bird feeder in your backyard. If you do not want to feed your birds everyday, only feed on days the sun comes up in the east and goes down in the west. You might also want to see a psychiatrist because you are surely not normal. If you are one of those hard-nosed holdouts who say they should only eat natural food, then get out there and plant them some!

• Since the forelimbs of birds are adapted for flying, it is necessary for them to have well developed bills and feet for grasping and holding food, and also as their chief weapon for defense.
• The drinking habits are similar in many birds. It is very interesting to see them fill their bills and raise their heads to let the water run down their throats.
--Dick E. Bird

Mistletoe has more to do with the birds and the bees than just kissing.

The Hunt&Peck Report--Scientists are discovering that mistletoe has more to do with the birds and the bees than just kissing.

New research indicates that the romantic Christmas plant, best known for hanging above the head of someone you want to kiss, is essential to several species of birds, bees and animals.
The plant is a parasite that attaches itself to trees. But when researchers recently looked at areas where mistletoe had run amok, they found increased populations of bees and birds that feed on the plant’s bright red berries.

Now the U.S. Geological Survey—which also does biological research—will go high-tech with satellite tracking to help explain why.

Mistletoe blooms in the Southwest in February, and for a time it’s the only food available for bees. Through the winter, its berries are also practically the only food for the silky flycatcher, a beautiful black bird common in the Southwest.

"Without the desert mistletoe, they would have to go elsewhere or the population would decrease,’ said researcher Diane Larson of the Geological Survey. "We saw more birds and more species in mistletoe-infested areas," said USGS research ecologist Rob Bennetts of Gainesville, Fla., describing mistletoe’s effect across the country. "It’s a food source for a lot of species," including small mammals such as squirrels.

For humans, the allure of mistletoe may have started in Norse mythology, which describes it as the sacred plant of Frigga, goddess of love.
I knew squirrels would be implicated somehow in this mistletoe thing. They will eat anything that doesn’t eat them first and they love to chase each other around with a chunk of mistletoe in tow.

Hand Feeding Wild Birds

Hand feeding your birds is quick, fun, and not all that complicated. The more you do it, the more comfortable your birds are with the whole idea.

The real secret is to sit very still. At first you have to hold your hand out in front of you, so it is wise to prop your arm on something.

In the Marine Corps they used to make us hold our rifle out in front of us until our arms fatigued. When you would begin to drop your arms, a bull- dog-looking drill instructor in a Smokey Bear hat would scream at you and that would give your arms new strength. So if you can’t find something to rest your arm on, have someone scream at you every 10 minutes.



There are books out on hand feeding birds. There may be some better techniques but it really isn’t graduate material. It has much more to do with supply and demand.

I taught my dog to fall dead when I shoot her with my finger, get her dish, shake hands and catch a biscuit off the end of her nose. I am not so demanding with my birds but I am almost sure they are capable of it. My dog sounds smart but if you put her on a leash you have dope-on-a-rope. Anyone can hand feed birds—even you. Try it!

Nagging Questions About Birds and Squirrels

The "Look"
When it comes to competition for food at the feeder, the alpha squirrel is easy to spot by the "look." This furball never has to make a sound; all he has to do is supply the "look." The "look" can be felt. The dominant squirrel controls food flow. If another animal approaches the feeder, the dominant squirrel will shoot a "look" that would make a wood duck—duck. This will usually end the challenge. If not, a bluff charge is in order. If you study your squirrels, you will discover a whole arsenal of "looks."
There is the "straight-on look," the "side-shot look," the "short look," the "long look," the "glance dance," and the "glare stare."
Each "look" was developed for a particular situation, and some are used in combination with the "bluff charge." At the same time, optic nerves have to network with hearing capabilities. When a squirrel is concentrating on the "look," he still has to hear the side door of the house quietly open. He has to hear the bristles of the broom flutter in the still morning air. Some say a squirrel has the ability to hear the rapid heartbeat of a homeowner through double-pane glass. This is a myth. A squirrel has exceptional hearing, but it is not that good. What the squirrel detects through the window is—the "look."

Do Birds Belch?
How many times have you sat at the window, watching your birds at the feeder, and wondered about this? Have you ever heard a bird burp? You would think birds would burp by the way they gulp down food.
The definition of a bird belch is "to eject [gas] noisily from the stomach through the beak." In France, if a bird belches at the birdfeeder it means it truly enjoyed the meal.

Greased Lightning
A question many people have been asking themselves is: "Are my chances of being hit by lightning lesser or greater than being hit by bird droppings?"
There are many things to consider when trying to answer this question. First, there are many more birds than lightning bolts. When you hear thunder, you know you were not hit by lightning. If you hear a bird, however, it does not necessarily mean you weren’t hit by a dropping. Your chances of getting hit by lightning used to be one in a million. But since the world population has increased, lightning has more targets, which makes your chances of getting hit by a bolt one in five million.
The same thing is true with birds. More people, more targets, less chance of being dropped on. Also, the world’s bird populations are dropping dramatically, which makes getting hit with bird droppings even more rare.
But if you assume you will be hit by lightning, before you will be hit by a bird dropping, you are wrong. A weather system will only produce a small number of storms, and a storm will only produce a small number of lightning bolts, but birds will produce droppings continuously because birds have no bladders. Your actual chances of getting hit by a bird dropping is 150 percent.