mobile bird homes

Last year, M. stood by in my laboratory and watched as I cut a small circular hole in a large hollow dried gourd the size of a soccer ball, carefully following her instructions as to size and position of the hole. She thought it would make a fine bird house. We hung it low in the not so tall magnolia tree in our front yard. Eventually birds moved in, and evidently enjoyed their hanging gourd summer home.

Today, one spring later, M. asked me to get that natural colored, unpainted gourd out; it was the time for birds to nest. When I found it and wiped off the dust, she hung it again in the same low tree, near where she was doing spring flower yard clean up. Before noon it was up, and she continued work near the potential bird home.

A half-hour later she came in to tell me the wrens had moved in and were making a lot of racket chirping while rearranging furniture and bringing in new sticks. I guess they had been waiting for their mobile home to return. For the rest of the day they sang and sang, coming in and going out.

On another bird house front -

This afternoon when I stopped at Captain Bob’s to pick up a groundhog trap, he gave me an extra bird house he had made. after I mentioned that one I had put together from old wood had disintegrated. The former shop teacher – turned fishing boat Captain, presented me with a sturdy rust colored bird home that surely would last several bird lifetimes.

I would have felt hesitant about taking it, but he already had seven others hanging in his yard, and a few more in his garage. Once a shop teacher, always a bird house maker.