Date: Fri 13-Feb-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

Bluebirds-scouts-houses

Full Text:

"If I Had A Hammer," I'd Build A Bluebird House!

(with photos)

BY DOROTHY EVANS

To tell the truth, it took a lot more than just a hammer last week when a

group of six-year-old Tiger Cub Scouts undertook a bluebird nestbox building

project.

For starters, they needed hundreds of nails and several eight-foot planks

accompanied by a set of nestbox blueprints -- all provided free of charge by

the Connecticut State DEP (Department of Environmental Protection).

Then they needed parents who were handy with an electric saw and drill to cut

out the pieces and assemble the kits, and more parents to come out on the

Great Nestbox Building Day to help the young scouts read the directions and

fit the parts together while holding nails.

Finally, all that was needed was a roomful of Cub Scouts hammering, and by the

ear-splitting racket that rocked Edmond Town Hall February 4, there could be

no doubt the bluebird home construction project was going forward like a house

afire, if you'll pardon the expression.

By the end of the afternoon, at least ten nestboxes had been successfully

built according to spec. Now they are ready to be taken home and put up

outside.

In exchange for receiving the free wood from the DEP, the Cub Scouts agreed to

keep records of what happened with the box, and return the results to the DEP

Wildlife Division in Sessions Woods by September 1998.

Hopefully, there will be good news to report of a family of bluebirds

successfully raised and fledged. If chickadees or wrens moved in instead, the

DEP wants to know about that too, along with details about where the box is

sited and what the surrounding habitat is like, whether it be pasture,

woodland, lawn or hedgerow.

"At least, this will provide a good lesson in scientific observation," said

one parent.

House Hunting

Although mid-February is definitely not spring, male bluebirds are already

looking for possible nest sites. They will be marking off their territories by

the end of March.

For that reason, the Tiger Cub Scouts are just in time to put out their boxes,

which should be mounted about five feet off the ground on a post or pole in an

open area that is well cleared of undergrowth.

In spring and summer, bluebirds like to perch and fly down to open ground to

find food (worms, caterpillars, insects). They don't like tall grass or

overhanging tree branches, possibly for fear of predators.

If a pair of bluebirds decides to move in (usually by May 1) and successfully

raises a family, the egg-laying and hatching process will take approximately

45 days, after which time the chicks should have flown. Then the box may be

opened and cleaned out in time for a second brood.

Though it looks like hard work, female bluebirds seem to "like" building a new

nest each time. Something about the process gets them "in the mood" to start

all over again.

For more information about bluebirds, write Audubon licensed bluebird bander

and author Fred Comstock, 168 Main Street North, Bethlehem, CT 06751. Mr

Comstock has written a "Bluebird, How-To Book" that costs approximately $10.