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A Plea for Bird Boxes
The majority of birds build their nests either in trees or on the ground, but we 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 cigarboxes 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 tarmers 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. tor 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 in one year we have eight pairs of birds
raise two broods a year,
and only five suitable nesting sitest 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 hurtling these cavities in the trees; they build in them. and when our \Vrens. Blue- birds and their less numerous companions arrive from the South they find their nesting Many oi these birds then hang around and do not
sitt- already occupied hy sparrows.
nest the whole season. and if this continues it will much deplete otlr flocks of useful farm birds. My suggestion now is to put tlp d-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 on: or two holes in the bottom so that it can- not fill with rain and thus drown otlt 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 tarrners 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 otlt 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. or which touoeen were used, ten by Wrens and four hy Bluebirds. In the orchard I could find only one cavit ‘ 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 collie back. they find their favorite tree _cut down or. as often happens, that the nest is being used by English Spar- rows. ldo not contend. as some do. that the English Sparrow drives all our native birds away by fighting; he ttoes it another way. He takes possession of their nest in the win» tertime when theownersare South, and when they come back they are seldom able to
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