So we have this Youpon Holly tree in our backyard that brings some amazing guests every year!! The bright red berries are snacked on throughout the year by our smart yet annoying mockingbird friend. There are hundreds of thousand berries on the tree and yet he will let no other bird share in the bounty that is until January of every year…
I knew it would happen soon but every year I can’t remember exactly when it will happen.
My mom and I were walking in a nearby neighborhood park and the trees were absolutely alive with sound. We spent most of our walk looking up- needless to say we needed a good chiropractic visit after we were done =) Flickers, redheaded woodpeckers, sparrows, chickadess and birds we couldn’t identify(which was very bothersome) We watched the robins scurry about yanking those worms right out of Texas clay!! The highlight of our walk was when we realized the waxwings were here!!! They are beautifully sleek such a mysterious looking bird. We spied only a handful but I knew that soon we would have visitors to our backyard =) Jokingly I told the waxwings we had a beautiful berry tree exploding with berries and they were welcome at our home.
2 days later…
I smile as I write this. I actually knew they were here by the WHUMP on my window. There are only 2 birds that do that!! Flocking waxwings and barrelling robins. Sure enough my large leafless hackberry tree had 10-20 waxwings perched ready to devour the berries. They hadn’t come alone. Perched in the tree with them were 15-20 robins too. They were all waiting though what was the holdup? Normally they converge on the tree like hungry maniacs sucking down the hundreds of thousands of berries in under 10 minutes but not today. I look in the holly tree and sure enough our 1 blantanly annoying mockingbird is doing his best at keeping those 40+ birds at bay. He told each of them firmly it was his tree and they weren’t invited to visit.
Those berries are all gone now. Despite his best efforts the robins and waxwings eventually picked them all off.
If you have noticed there has been a substantial amount of time that has gone by since my last post. ( almost a year to the day =)
You ask- Why have the website?
I ask-When you are about to have a 3rd child and all you can think about is painting, washing baby clothes, and collecting diaper donations- is the bird website really a priority?
And then once that precious 3rd child joins us- let’s see- sleep vs posting articles about sweet chirpy birds-hmm don’t really need to think twice about that one =)
Ok sorry there was a tad amount of sarcasm there =)
I was shocked and embarassed when I found out today- after figuring out how to get back into my webmail account- that my birdhouse plans were not coming up. I apologize to each and everyone of you that signed up for my free plans and were blasted with a not so nice ERROR messages =) It will be corrected by the weekend. Please continue to sign up and I will send an email to the faithful few with plans that you can use…next year =)
And I promise not to let another whole year pass before at least making a post.
Yes I still love birds, yes I still feed birds and yes I still have my nifty birdhouse that I built using those plans that I fully expected to be working!!
Now in the spring-next spring that is- I will actually put up my birdhouse(as long as child #4 isn’t on its way =))
Continue to build birdhouses so you can save birds!!!
Since I am learning to be patient as my birdhouse awaits the spring flutter of wings, I thought we should spend some time researching our ever popular holiday bird. My family enjoys it for Thanksgiving and Christmas so here is some blog time for that ever fulfilling feathered friend!! Yes I know you are thinking- what is such a large bird doing on a birdhouse blog?- yep since my family consumes so much turkey we should give honor where honor is due =) 97% of Americans according to the National Turkey Federation eat turkey at Thanksgiving- enough said!!
Most of my fascinating turkey information came from Wikipedia and here is a fun turkey fact website
The domesticated turkey is a large poultry bird raised for food and it is the descendent of the wild turkey. Though similar in name turkeys have no relation to the country of Turkey and are native to North America.
The female is called a hen and the chick is a poult. In the US, the male is referred to as a tom. Most dom
esticated turkeys have white feathers, although brown turkeys are often seen in books and on TV and are raised by organic famers. The red fleshy part under the beak is known as a “wattle”.
After being introduced to Europe by the Spanish, many distinct turkey breeds were developed. (e.g. Spanish Black, Royal Palm). Turkey was one of the many game species hunted by early American colonists and is thought to have been served at the first Thanksgiving, although there is little evidence to support this claim.(Because we weren’t there) In the midwestern United States in the mid to late 1800s, domestic turkeys were actually herded across the range in a manner similar to herding cattle. (That would have been fun to see) Turkey was more of a luxury for most of the early 1900s but the price of turkey dropped dramatically when the farming of turkeys became more common in the late 1940’s
In the UK Bernard Matthews is a name synonymous with turkey production and is the largest single producer in the world. The dominant commercial breed is the White (also known as “White Holland”) which are large birds with lots of meat but too large to achieve natural fertilization.
Approximately 2-4 billion pounds of poultry feathers are produced every year by the the industry. Most of the feathers are usually ground up and used as filler for animal feed.(yum) To date, turkey feather fibers have also been blended with nylon and spun into yarn.
Due to modern breeding techniques there are a wide range of differences between wild turkeys and commercial farm animals. The commercial varieties have lost much of their natural ability to forage for food, fly, walk normally, and to escape predators.(not much like a turkey anymore) The hens are also artificially inseminated because the toms are large and can injure the hens. Hobbyists as well as organic farmers grow “heritage” breeds such as the Royal Palm or Narragansett. These heritage breeds do not grow as quickly as commercial breeds and are single-breasted which means mostly dark meat. Their meat has a stronger turkey taste and does not require flavor additives or brining. Heritage turkeys are disease resistant, strong flyers and foragers, and can mate naturally and raise their young successfully. The average lifespan for a turkey is 10 years (If it doesn’t make it to our table)
Male turkeys strut and demonstrate, usually in groups, to attract hens. They fan out their tail, puff up the feathers on their backs, and drag their primary flight feathers on the ground to produce a “scraping” sound. Part of the demonstration includes gobbling and producing a “puff” sound followed by a very low resonating “boing” that sounds like a rubber band in an echo chamber. The low resonating sound is low enough that it cannot be captured with traditional audio equipment. The hen in turn makes a “yelp” or call that attracts the males. Hens select their mate and crouch on the ground with neck extended to signal their willingness to mate. Hens continue to lay fertile eggs for three to four weeks from just one mating. However, when given the opportunity hens will mate every day. The average lifespan of a breeding tom is 64 weeks. Between the hen and the tom , the tom is the only one that “gobbles”.
The turkey is a smart bird and is quite sociable. The myth of turkeys being ”dumb” may have come from the turkey’s appearance rather than its behavior. Benjamin Franklin regarded the turkey as a noble bird and preferred it to the eagle as the proposed symbol for the new United States, describing it as a “Bird of Courage.”
Here are a few of the turkey breeds and their descriptions:
*The Broad-breasted White is the commercial turkey of choice for large scale industrial turkey farms, and consequently is the most consumed variety of the bird. The Broad-breasted Bronze is another commercially developed strain of table bird.
*The Standard Bronze looks much like the broad-breasted, except that it is single breasted, and can naturally breed.
*The Bourbon Red turkey is a smaller non-commercial breed with dark reddish feathers with white markings.
*Blue slate turkeys are a very rare breed with beautiful gray-blue feathers.
*The Black turkey (”Spanish Black”, “Norfolk Black”) has very dark plumage with a green sheen.
*Narrangasset is a popular heritage breed named after Narraganset Bay in New England.
*The striking Royal Palm turkey has been developed not as a commercial strain but for more ornamental purposes, though it is also bred by those interested in preserving heritage breeds.
It is finished!!!!
Since I am a visual learner I thought it would be cool to videotape the building of a birdhouse. (You know those assembly instructions that come with media centers and some kids toys- they really should be in video format). That is why I did this.
Because my brothers and sister don’t share my interest in birds I couldn’t get them to volunteer to build this birdhouse for me(though my sister would have been great since she has a flair for the dramatic-as would have my daughter but she is only 3). So I volunteered for my own video. I would have loved to been able to wear a bag on my head to make it but its difficult to build a birdhouse that way. Alas the video needed to be made so I put aside my pride and viola you can now check it out online!!
I used one of my simple easy birdhouse plans in my nifty ebook and I go from explaining the supplies needed to the finished product. It is truly the nest box of all nest boxes!!
***If you want to see how a nest box is built before you build it youself just sign up for the newsletter/free birdhouse plans on the right side of the website and I will send you viewing instructions.
I did all of the work. My dad did the videotaping and he kept me in line when I started to freak out because I was actually making a video that would be posted on the internet-eeek. It is 20 minutes long- all of the drilling and sawing has been put on high speed so it looks a little funny. Feel free to laugh but don’t make fun of me =) Just remember this was done for the sake of the birds!!
Disclaimer: this is my first birdhouse!!! but I built the birdhouse to save the birds!!
1. If you receive your mail at your door, replace the mailbox with a top or side opening birdhouse(just for the season)
2. Bring it inside and let the kids pass secret notes to each other
3. If it was a “nude” birdhouse or if it’s a little weathered, spiff it up with a new coat of paint(remember tan, green and brown are best)
4. If it is a top opening birdhouse use it to hold pens, markers, remote controls, etc.
5. If it is a birdhouse that looks like a house make it into a front door decoration(much like a wreath) and add a sign that says “Home Tweet Home”
6. Set it somewhere in a prominent place like your living room or kitchen and use it as a conversation peice about the benefits of having a birdhouse
7. Give it to a family member or neighbor so they can enjoy the upcoming nesting season(and get my FREE birdhouse plans and build yourself a new one=))
***Before trying any of these tips make sure the birdhouse is clean!!! Build a birdhouse…Save a bird!
So a couple of weeks ago I put my ebook of “FREE Easy Birdhouse Plans” to good use and used the Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, and House Wren nestbox plan and built myself a good looking birdhouse!!! What’s even more fun is we videotaped it!! So within the next week or so I will have that available on this site for download and you can watch me use the easiest birdhouse plans ever to build my first birdhouse.
Now I am not really the type of person that likes to watch myself do anything- as a photographer I li
ke being behind the camera but I am a visual learner and I know so many others are too- so I wanted to create something that would show you exactly what you need, how to use it, what it looks like when you
are building it and what you can expect when you are done!!! What that means for you and your kids is you can do it too!!!!
So here is how much it costs to build your own birdhouse!
*The beautiful peice(it was almost too nice to turn into a birdhouse) of pine wood was a 1″ X 6″ X 6′ so I had extra in case I messed up my measurements(which thankfully I didn’t) it cost $10.50
*I bought 150 brass screws for $7 of which I only used 18(plenty left over for more birdhouses =)) so actual cost for screws used: $0.90!!!
*I bought a pair of hinges to modify the plan from a side opening nestbox to a top opening they cost $3.25
I borrowed the drill and 3 bits, the saw, all my measuring tools, a workbench and the wood glue (Dads are a great resource so are neighbors!)
SOOOOO the total project cost $14.65!!!!!
Get ready to Build a birdhouse….Save a bird!
While you are patiently awaiting the nesting season to begin here are some specific feeders with specific food for specific birds!!!
*Have your kids help- They can choose the bird they want to see, then as a family buy or build the feeder. Finally let them fill the feeder with food.
All of this information came from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Build a birdfeeder…Save a bird =)
*TUBE FEEDER WITH BLACK OIL SUNFLOWER
goldfinches chickadees
woodpeckers nuthatches
titmice redpolls, pine siskins
*ADDING A TRAY TO THE TUBE FEEDER WILL ALSO ATTRACT
cardinals jays
crossbills purple finches
white-throated sparrow house finches
white-crowned sparrows
*TRAY OR PLATFORM FEEDER — WITH MILLET
doves house sparrows
blackbirds juncos
cowbirds towhees
white-throated sparrows tree sparrows
white-crowned sparrows chipping sparrows
*TRAY OR PLATFORM FEEDER — WITH CORN
starlings house sparrows
grackles jays
juncos bobwhite quail
doves ring-necked pheasants
white-throated sparrows
*PLATFORM FEEDER OR TUBE FEEDER AND TRAY — with PEANUTS
cardinals chickadees
grackles house finches
titmice house sparrows
sparrows starlings
mourning doves white-throated sparrows
jays juncos
*NIGER THISTLE FEEDER WITH TRAY
goldfinches house finches
purple finches redpolls
pine siskins doves
chickadees song sparrows
dark-eyed juncos white-throated sparrows
*NECTAR FEEDER
hummingbirds orioles
cardinals tanagers
woodpeckers finches
thrushes
*FRUIT
orioles tanagers
mockingbirds bluebirds
thrashers cardinals
woodpeckers jays
starlings thrushes
cedar waxwings yellow-breasted chats
*HANGING SUET FEEDER
woodpeckers wrens
chickadees nuthatches
kinglets thrashers
creepers cardinals
starlings
*PEANUT BUTTER SUET
woodpeckers goldfinches
juncos cardinals
thrushes jays
kinglets bluebirds
wrens starlings
*HANGING PEANUT FEEDER
woodpeckers
chickadees
titmice
Finally you say!!!
I know you were wondering if it would ever happen- a website devoted to birdhouses and no birdhouse plans? Well that was yesterday and today I have 3 super duper easy birdhouse plans!!!! Just sign up on the right side of the screen and viola’ all instructions for building and enjoying the fruits of your labor are at your fingertips =)
I am pretty proud of my FREE “ebook” if you will. The birdhouse plans are unaltered and used with permission by the U.S. Geological Survey.
A quick rundown of what you will find included with these nifty birdhouse plans:
*Pages 2-3 include Materials needed to build a nest box, Tips on drainage and ventilation, How-to check the nest box, Tips on placement and preventing predators
*Pages 4-6 include 34 cavity nesting birds and the dimensions of their nest box or nesting platform
*Pages 7-8 includes the birdhouse plan for Black-capped Chickadees, House Wrens and White-breasted Nuthatches. I included a color picture of the birds as well as breeding range, specific nest box instructions(if any) and information on nesting behaviors(incubation, egg description, and fledging)
*Pages 9-10 includes the birdhouse plan for Tree Swallows and Eastern Bluebirds as well as the birds’ specific information.
*Pages 11-12 includes the nesting shelf plan for the American Robin and Barn Swallow as well as the birds’ specific information.
*Pages 13-14 is an extra bonus- the plans for a Johnson Bat House. I included some important information about those plans and specifics about the Big and Little Brown Bat. (After reading up on these guys I should change my slogan to Got Bugs…Build a Bat house- they eat 3,000 to 7,000 bug a night!!!!)
These plans are easy enough you could do them with your kids(5 and older). They can measure, glue, drill and paint!!
I hope you enjoy the plans and the information!!!
Remember… Build a Birdhouse…Save a Bird!!!
I have been researching birdhouse options and have made my decision. To buy or build?
I will share my pros and cons list for both buying and building bird houses =)
To buy pros: *You can pick one out as a family, *No elbow grease necessary, * You can buy it and put it up all in the same day, *As a novice builder it might be easier to pick one out that looks exactly like you want(i.e. a birdhouse that matches your house), *You can buy it online
To buy cons: *Can be expensive, *Can be confusing (so many many many options), *You need to make sure it has drainage, ventilation, no perch etc.
To build pros: *Great family activity, *More affordable, *If you build it they will come =), * You feel satisfied when the work is done, *It is great stress relief, *You have control over whether the birdhouse is safe from the very beginning, *You can get the plans free on this website!!
To build cons: *You might have to buy or borrow some tools, * You will have to find the materials needed (Home Depot can be a big store when all you want is nails and a 4X10), *Elaborate fancy birdhouse plans might be difficult for novice birdhouse builders=)
Well my decision was to……. Build a birdhouse…to save a bird!
Was that really a surprise!! Watch for my birdhouse building video!! It should be uploaded within the next 2 weeks.
Admist my bird feeder research (while my birdhouse sits empty) I found this disclaimer about feeding the birds straight from Wikipedia.
“Despite a widespread belief to the contrary, the use of bird feeders does not have a positive impact on bird populations and biodiversity. For example, depending on the feeder design and the type of feed used, species such as the House Sparrow can dominate the use of the feeder. As a result, House Sparrow numbers can become inflated locally where feeders are used.”
My interpretation is- yes, still feed the birds but get specie specific food, the U.S. does not need(or want) any more House Sparrows(or Starlings)
I still think my new mantra Build a bird feeder…Save a bird -rings true!!
