DEAR JOAN: Ten years ago we built a birdhouse and followed all of the instructions. Unfortunately, our home is now only used as a bathroom!
I actually have tried cleansing it with a weak Clorox solution, brushing off the (guano) and cleansing it with plain water, but to no avail. What can we do?
DEAR NORMA: They say you’ve gotten to be patient when organising a brand new birdhouse, feeder or birdbath, but my friend, you’re taking it to a brand new level.
Maybe it's best to start out over and work out what went improper.
The first step concerns the actual house. Most birds prefer houses manufactured from unpainted wood that mix in with their surroundings. Heavily painted, quirky or decorative houses usually tend to attract uninvited visitors.
You'll also desire a box built specifically for blue tits. The interior size can vary, but the doorway hole must be the best size: large enough for the birds to get out and in easily, but not so large that predators can get in. No front perch needed.
Bluebirds, whether or not they are the eastern bluebirds in your area or the western bluebirds in my area, wish to nest in open spaces where they’ve room to fly around and snatch insects out of the air. Placing the birdhouse in order that it faces your own home or one other constructing can act as a deterrent to the bluebird.
The birds like a clean house, but it surely is healthier to avoid chemicals and harsh cleansing products. Usually, an intensive sweep after the breeding season and a light-weight dusting of the home with food-grade diatomaceous earth needs to be enough to eliminate pests. Rubbing the ceiling and partitions with a bar of unscented soap might help prevent wasps from constructing nests in the home.
The birdhouse needs to be mounted on a sturdy pole and native plants growing nearby will help attract the birds.
Now is a superb time to place up birdhouses. Birds won't start nesting for just a few months, but they will use them for shelter during bad weather—and begin exploring the neighborhood now.
None of this guarantees that you’re going to attract a pair of blue tits, but it surely does increase the possibilities. We hope it really works higher the second time around.
Remembering a friend
I recently received news of the passing of Ruby Waderich, who for at the very least 20 years was probably the most effective friend the Solano County Friends of Animals ever had.
I met Ruby several years ago when she asked me to advertise her Give a Buck campaign. Ruby believed that almost all people could afford to provide a dollar to the nonprofit, all-volunteer group, and that the sums would add up quickly. And she was right. In the primary few weeks, readers of this column donated nearly $3,000, an unexpected windfall for this small group.
Ruby was tireless and cared for a whole bunch of cats. She also loved the pigeons that visited her garden. She was one in every of the kindest and most dedicated people I actually have ever known.
In her memory, I ask readers to donate a dollar for Ruby by sending what they will spare to Solano County Friends of Animals, PO Box 235, Benicia, CA 94510.
Rest in peace, my friend.
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