HELP CAVITY NESTERS BY BUILDING A BIRD HOUSE

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, January 31, 1993                   TAG: 9301290026
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Patricia Held
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
HELP CAVITY NESTERS BY BUILDING A BIRD HOUSE
It is almost that time of year again when birds begin house hunting. I've already received several phone calls from people who discovered blue birds and wrens showing some nesting interest.
Many of our backyard birds are not fond of open-air homes, and we can help them by becoming their landlords. Woodpeckers, wrens, martins, titmice, chickadees and bluebirds, common in Western Virginia, do not build nests. Instead, they search out a cavity in a tree or fence post and build their nests within.
The advantages of cavities are that they are fully enclosed and out of sight, thus safer from predators. They also provide more protection from the weather than a nest perched on a branch.
Years ago cavity nesters had lots of choices for suitable nest sites. There were miles of wooden fence posts and lots of dead trees that made ideal nesting spots. But metal fence posts have replaced many of the wooden ones, and the "clean practice" of eliminating dead trees and old snags from wood lots has taken away many of the cavity-nesters' choices.
We can help cavity nesters by saving their natural nest sites. Try to avoid removing entire dead trees. Only take down limbs that pose a threat and leave as much of the tree as possible. Dead trees provide a habitat for a wide variety of birds and other animals. Every dead tree that is removed from a wood lot is another animal habitat taken away.
We can also help local cavity nesters by providing man-made nest boxes. There are a wide range of bird houses on the market. Local feed stores and hardware stores carry them as well as some mail-order catalogs.
But rather than buying a prefab house, why not design and build your own? A bird house does not need to look pretty for it to be attractive for birds. The simpler the better is a good rule.
Most bird houses are made from wood. If the outside is painted, it should be of subtle colors such as gray, brown or drab green. I prefer to use houses made from cedar and leave them unpainted. And unless it is a specially designed martin house avoid houses made of metal. Plastic is also unsuitable for bird houses.
While it is all right to paint the outside, the inside should never be painted.
Each bird species has its own particular requirements as far as size and dimension of the entrance hole. The entrance hole size is critical, especially for smaller birds. A fraction of an inch can make the difference, allowing bigger birds to come in and evict the smaller birds.
A perch, while making it more attractive, is not a good idea. It only benefits enemies.
Other features to include are proper drainage and ventilation. The roof should have a slight pitch and extend over the entire top so rain cannot get in. There should be a way to open the house to clean the interior, but it should be impenetrable to predators.
Place bird houses on poles or trees. Tree guards, similar to those used to keep squirrels off feeders, can be placed below each house to guard against predators. As a rule, place the boxes facing south in the bird's given habitat.
Maintenance of the box is as important as its design and location. Some birds are neat housekeepers and will not move into messy quarters. Each year, just before breeding season, nest boxes should be cleaned out of old nesting material. So be sure to locate houses in areas that are easily accessible.
If you are going to build your own bird boxes, first determine what birds you would like as tenants. Every species has its own requirements, and by following specific principles of construction, design and location you can attract certain bird species to our backyard to nest and raise their young.

Note: For a flier with detailed information of house requirements for a variety of our local nesting birds please send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to me at P.O. Box 65, Goode, Va. 24556.

Patricia Held is the former director of the Nature Center Museum in Middletown, N.J. She lives in Bedford County.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB