It’s been on my to-do list for a few weeks to build a couple of bird houses with the scrap wood I have leftover from other projects, and so finally I did the job just in time for spring migration.
In fact, by May, it’s almost too late — except that some species breed more than once. Those birds who arrived earlier already have young, but those just arriving are getting ready to make a nest. A ready-made niche is often accepted — and that’s what I’m going to provide!
And so can you. Do it this weekend!
“Using Old Wood To Build A Birdhouse” is a into a new kind of post here called a Project or Portfolio post. I decided it this was a nice way to do it with a picture gallery, and I could centralize all the DIY projects that way.
Resource: NestWatch’s All About Birdhouses has everything you need to know about different birdhouses and nest boxes for different types of birds, and also how to set them up with a nest camera!
Cornell Lab of ornithology
Leave a comment if you do get this project under way / done. I’d love to see the results!
Acopian Bird Savers are a relatively inconspicuous (visible, but not unsightly) way to prevent bird crashes, guaranteed. They’re a light curtain of strings that wave in the wind, in front of your windows – so birds see the obstruction and don’t mistake the windows for trees or sky.
They have a Build-Your-Own tutorial on their website; if you need a more custom solution or just want the materials done right from the get-go, you can order it from them online.
It’s fairly easy apply decals and UV liquid (remember, these are only useful for some bird species, not all!) by leaning outside, cleaning the windows, and sticking them on, but the real fix — Feather Friendly — requires access and time to apply it properly. Feather Friendly is probably the most effective solution out there, and it’s meant to last. It’s easy to apply when you live on the ground floor, but not so easy at higher floors. But higher floors still need effective protection.
That means many apartment dwellers and homeowners who don’t have access to an extension ladder might find it too much trouble to try to prevent birds from crashing into windows. (Because they aren’t there when the crashes happen, or see what happens next, they doubt they occur, or that they’re serious enough to kill the bird. But…yes it happens and yes, it kills.)
I wrote this to help people who have either casement windows or modern sash-hung windows where you can tip the window inward in order to clean it (or pop the window out of the frame, as many can!). Sliding windows are even easier. You need to be able to access the top of the frame of the window on the outside. This DIY fix is super-affordable, and as it’s not a permanent alteration to the dwelling, you won’t need your landlord’s permission to use them.
If you’ve been looking up at the tops of the trees or watching neighbourhood feeders, you’ve noticed the flitting of birds newly arriving on their spring migration. If you’ve been walking around with open ears, you’ve heard the sweet musical call of the robins and almost-raucous regular trill of the red-winged blackbirds. Spring has arrived and it’s in full swing. And so we must hone our attention on our surroundings (not a hard task!)—while for some us, work begins.
Basically, if you find a bird that’s been injured by a window (or a passing vehicle), it’s stunned, and it needs your protection. And you’re a very frightening predator from its perspective, so you have to be careful to not get in its face while helping it!
Gently pick it up, such as by wrapping your hand around it from the top, with your palm against its back and its head peeking out between your index and middle finger. This can help immobilize its wings—struggle could hurt it further.
If you have to carry it any distance, ask a nearby store for a paper bag to put it in. Fold the top down and carry it as gently as if it contained an egg!
At your destination, fashion a donut (a twisted ring) out of bathroom paper towels, put the ring in a box, put the bird in the ring, and after assessing its state of alertness, close the box to give it some rest.
Call a bird or wildlife rehabber and inform them of the situation. They will advise you further. You may have to deliver the bird to them.
Read on for what to do about baby birds!
If, instead, you found a baby squirrel, go here. It has a flowchart questionnaire to help you do what you need to do to help the baby.
I was born on Groundhog Day. I therefore became inordinately fond of rodents.
Also, the 2nd falls after the first of every month, and many people (e.g. my mother) say “Rabbits rabbits rabbits” on the first. Apparently some say “White rabbit” (that’s Hervé!). It’s supposed to ensure good luck for the rest of the month. Here’s a personal essay about it (not mine, someone else’s). What I tend to do, besides say it, is catch my bunnies and cut their little claws.
But on the 2nd of February, we can say “Groundhogs, groundhogs, groundhogs.”
(Aside: our dog used to drag home dead groundhogs, probably killed by the neighbouring farmer or other people’s cars, and the carcasses would basically dessicate in the yard. What can I say, dogs love rolling around in smelly wild animal things.)
Despite that gross memory (hey, humans are gross), I just cannot. get. enough. cute animal pictures, and groundhogs are about as cute as you can get. They sit on rocks and look wise, like someone you’d ask advice from. They look like they’d be a good friend. I’ve had some come by the homestead and I’m always thrilled to see them!
Luckily a bunch of do-gooders with cushy jobs (friends, behold, this may be work, but marmots make it a cushy job) are out there breeding, and feeding, and releasing, and spying on these little whistle-pigs. They had 26 litters in the wild in 2013 (their biggest year to date), maybe 75-80 pups. That’s not counting the babies that were captive bred in the zoos, getting ready to be sprung on a needy world, I mean, ecosystem. There are dens and caverns just begging to be re-occupied. If we have a few more good years, their population might rebound!
Watch them on YouTube:
All that to say, I really want to become a marmot shepherd. But I hear it’s a pretty exclusive job, so I want to make sure that job is around (or else made successfully redundant) by the time I am eligible to do it. That’s why I want groundhog money for my birthday. <–Donate here!
The money is going to the Marmot Recovery Foundation (http://marmots.org/). Read all about these special beasties here, and gaze (gape) at the gorgeous photos. I want us to sponsor as many of these mommas and papas as we can.
This is a long-running “lifestyle” blog about the pleasures of living like a farm kid in an urban context. There’s a big focus on ecology and wildlife because this has brought me joy – and this is also the greatest potential we have of restoring some balance to nature where we live.
I write practical content for people to do little projects that basically make things beautiful, but also support climate readiness (energy efficiency, heat reduction, drought tolerance, flood prevention, and more). I’m a relentlless promoter of having a live-and-let-live attitude towards biodiversity.
Comments and questions are welcome! And if you’re anywhere near the Montreal region, you can also use my “Rewilding” service to landscape your property using native plants, convert to a green driveway, and prevent your windows from killing birds.
