jBtotes; from JFfelti anti ^tutip 



A Plea for Bird Boxes 



The majority of birds build their nests 

 either in trees or on the ground, but w^ 

 have a few that excavate a hole in a live or 

 dead tree for their nest and also a few that 

 build in any hole in a tree, bird-box, or, in 

 fact, in any crevice which is a foot above 

 the ground ; and these are the birds for 

 whose use I wish to ask the people who 

 are interested in the increase of some of our 

 most beneficial birds to nail up some tin 

 cans or cigar-boxes in their orchards. 



We have Audubon Societies all over our 

 country that are striving to protect and in- 

 crease bird life; they have had wonderful 

 success and with hard work have achieved 

 much, and these few words are written as 

 a suggestion to help along a good cause. 



The farmers of today keep all their fruit 

 trees well trimmed, all dead wood cut out, 

 and all old trees, which are a paradise to 

 House Wrens, Bluebirds , Chickadees, 

 Great-crested Flycatchers, Purple Martins 

 and English Sparrows, are cut down and 

 replaced by young trees. Thus these birds 

 have hard work to find nesting sites, and I 

 believe their numbers are much restricted 

 by this cause. Take an average orchard 

 of about twenty-five trees; say there are five 

 cavities suitable for nests, which would be 

 very liberal, for in many orchards you 

 could not find one. If we start with a pair 

 of Wrens, which average seven young to a 

 nest and will raise two broods a year, 

 in one year we have eight pairs of birds 

 and only five suitable nesting sites. Eng- 

 lish Sparrows are gradually working from 

 the cities out into the country, and as they 

 do not migrate and use their nest for a roost 

 in the winter-time, they are not long in 

 finding these cavities in the trees; they 

 build in them, and when our Wrens, Blue- 

 birds and their less numerous companions 

 arrive from the South they find their nesting 

 site already occupied by Sparrows. Many 

 of these birds then hang around and do not 



nest the whole season, and if this continues- 

 it will much deplete our flocks of useful 

 farm birds. My suggestion now is to put 

 up bird-boxes for these birds. A tomato- 

 can makes a good home for a Wren or a 

 Bluebird. Bend the lid back, leaving a 

 small opening; also remember to put one 

 or two holes in the bottom so that it can- 

 not fill with rain and thus drown out the 

 birds, as often happens in cavities in trees, 

 and you have a very durable bird-house 

 which will last several years. These birds 

 as a class feed only on insects, bugs, cater- 

 pillars, etc., and farmers would find them 

 very useful in protecting their trees and 

 crops. 



I do not think that English Sparrows 

 will nest in anything as small as a tomato 

 can, but if they do they may easily be kept 

 out by making the opening in the box or 

 can only one and one-eighth inches in diam- 

 eter. A Wren may easily get in and out of 

 this, but it would keep out the Bluebirds 

 with the Sparrows. Many farmers have 

 one or two bird-boxes near the house, but 

 they never think of erecting any in the 

 orchard. 



I put up twenty cans and cigar-boxes last 

 year in an orchard, of which fourteen were 

 used, ten by Wrens and four by Bluebirds. 

 In the orchard I could find only one cavity; 

 this was not used, as the birds that had 

 occupied it the previous season used a tin 

 can instead. 



I believe many birds do not nest because 

 they do not find suitable nesting sites. 

 Birds return to the same nesting site year 

 after year, and it is very hard on them 

 if, when they come back, they find their 

 favorite tree cut down or, as often happens, 

 that the nest is being used by English Spar- 

 rows. I do not contend, as some do, that the 

 English Sparrow drives all our native birds 

 away by fighting; he does it another way. 

 He takes possession of their nest in the win- 

 ter time when the owners are South , and when 

 they come back they are seldom able ta 



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