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Bluebird Bo>
BY SUSAN USHER
Vivid blue with cinnamon-red breasts, eastern
bluebirds are among the first spring arrivals from the
north, though their numbers are small.
Aside from their cheerful call and warbling song, the
aiiia:i inrusn lamuy memDers are valued because they
destroy insects.
Bluebirds have had an up and down history, says
Tommy Hughes, district Wildlife Resources Commission
biologist. Hughes led a July 20 workshop in building
bluebird houses as part of "Celebrate July," the
Brunswick County Parks and Recreation Department's
National Recreation and Parks Month observance.
Eastern bluebirds once were common in Carolina orchards
and clearings, but insecticides usage took its toll,
he said. Only now are the small, attractive birds making
a comeback. In Brunswick County, they're seen now
more than in the last 10 or 15 years. If you're impatient,
there are ways to encourage their coming to your area.
While bluebirds prefer nesting in natural cavities in
old trees and fences, they will use nesting boxes. Hughes
said. Especially now, when timbering practices and the
advent of metal fencing have eliminated many natural
sites.
If you've missed the bluebird and want to encourage
it in your neighborhood, begin by building one or more
bluebird boxes. They're simple and inexpensive to make.
But choosing where to mount a birdbox, says Hughes,
is 'he single most important step to having a successful
bluebird program.
Bluebirds like to use a very specific type of habitat,
rarely deviating from it. In general they prefer open
areas with scattered trees, such as an orchard or at the
DEPARTMENT VOLUNTEER Kay Brannon learns to
use a drill with the help of Tina Pritehard. assistant
direetor of the Brunswick County Parks and Recretion
Department.
vi^itiai,
Holden Beach Service
is moving '/a mile v
location on Hwy. K
Look For Ou
In our new modern building, 1
work on 6 cars at a time.
Full automotive and boat repairs
New and used tire sales
Car air conditioner service /
Car body repairs : ^
Road service I*
We will continue home fuel delive
The name of our new Ic
HOLDEN BEA
1 Hwy. 130
Holden Beach
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I Thank you for y
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edge of a clearing near a stand of trees. The clearing
should have low growth. They don't like sites in heavy
timber?just near it.
Boxes should be placed at intervals of 150 to 200
yards, preferably facing east. "They go to them faster
for some reason," said Hughes.
Boxes should be mounted about five to seven feet
above ground level. Fence posts make excellent choices.
And. he stressed, since bluebirds feed almost entirely
on insects during the nesting season from late February
and early March to July, the box should not be placed in
or near areas of widespread insecticide use.
During the nesting season, bluebirds will use the
same box for two or three successive hatchings?if you
IU.. 1 ?A - ' ' - ? ? -
i-ivan uic uo.\ oui immediately aticr each clutch of eggs
hatches and the young fledge. The eggs liatch in about 12
or 13 days.
locating the box in town or adjoining a farm yard
will usually attract sparrows, not bluebirds. "Don't put
boxes where you have a lot of English sparrows.
"They're real competitive with bluebirds. They will actually
kill the young or destroy the eggs and take the
nest." Keeping the opening to the box lla-inches in
diameter also helps attract bluebirds rather than sparrows.
Also protect the bluebirds from other predators, such
as cats, by 11 hanging a predator shield beneath it; and2?
mounting the box where it cannot be reached from above
from nearby trees.
Each bluebird house requires; 33 inches of 1-inch x
10-inch lumber; 20 to 25 l'j-inch to l;l?-inch galvanized
siding nails or aluminum nails; a small metal hinge;
wire or ring-shank nails to attach box to post; and lop^ .nh
{
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WII.Dl.IFE BIOI.OGIST TOMMY HUGHES helps
Jody Bowen determine where to place drill holes
belore nailing a box together.
tera
Station "Faircloths '
vest of its present
30, Holden Beach.
r New Sign
we will be able to
cation and business is:
CH GARAGE
842-3132
James Faircloth-Owner
'our patronage
JODY BOWEN ANI) MARK U)GAN use Ihe bud
tional i a 1 li-inch wood screw with washer to secure the
front of the lid.
Tina Pritchard, assistant director of the Brunswick
County Parks and Recreation Department, said lumber
for 15 boxes costs approximately $.15.
All materials were supplied to participants in the
Saturday morning workshop, who were asked to bring
hammers only.
Participants ranged in age from Cub Scout Jody
Bowen to an older couple who drove from Wilmington for
the event, bluebird watchers Robert and Mary Catherine
Marlowe.
Following Hughes' instructions, they wielded drills
and hammers, all completing at least one box during the
session.
Make A Box
Making a box at home is easy.
From one side of your 33-inch long board (dimensions
arc given ror -?-incn imcK lumber), cut a top or door
measuring 6'v inches by 7 inches; a back, 16'2 inchs by
5,/, inches; and a front, 9ai inches by 5/, inches. From
the other side, cut a bottom 3,/8 inches square and a long
piece 20'2 inches by 3,/8 inches for the sides. Measure 9s 4
inches along the side piece and cut the board at a slant.
Position the sides with the slant ends up to provide ventilation
space lietwcen the top and sides.
To finish the top or door piece, slant one cut side at a
77-degree angle to mount flush against the l?ack of the
luiuse.
Un the front piece, cut a l'n-inch diameter hole,
centering it horizontally and spacing it l'? from the top.
Houghon the inside l>y making notches with a saw or
holes with an awl or drill, to help young In climbing to the
entrance hole.
Take the bottom square and sand the corners off,
rounding thein. This also provides ventilation and
drainage for the box.
Assemble the enclosure so that the back extends farther
at the bottom than at the top. Kccess the bottom
panel one-quarter inch to allow drainage.
When completed, drill two or three holes in the back
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JNSWICK BEACON. Thursday. August 1, 1985?Page 5-A
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ST AM PHOTOS 8V SUSAN USHIP
Idy system, taking turns holding and hammering.
panel above and below the enclosure for quick attachment
to a pole or post.
When completed, finish in a dull natural shade of
stain or paint. I jghtcr tones will keep the box cooler.
Diagrams that illustrate dimensions and assembly
procedures are available from Tina Pritchard, assistant
director of the Brunswick County Parks and Recreation
Department in Bolivia.
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FOR A HIGHER OCCUPANCY RATE, mount the completed
box fueliiK cast and out of predator*' reach.
Keith Bowen and Mark la>^;un display their boxe*,
which lark only a coat of paint or stain.
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