Placement of Bluebird Boxes

When it comes to houses, “one size fits all” doesn’t work any
better for birds than it does for people. When you look through books and catalogs you will see that there are birdhouses of all shapes and sizes. Some have perches and some without. They can
be made from wood, recycled paper and plastic containers, gourds, pottery, metal, and even concrete.

There are more than two dozen North American birds that routinely nest in bird houses. The type of birdhouse and the location will determine what type of bird, if any, will make use of your birdhouse.

The Eastern Bluebird is my favorite bird. They place their nest in a birdhouse or an abandoned woodpecker hole anywhere from 3 to 20 feet off the ground. They compete with house sparrows and starlings for the best nesting sites. Placing the birdhouse on a fence post or tree stump between 4 and 5 feet high will discourage the house sparrows and make it easier for you to
monitor. A smaller hole, an inch and a half in diameter will discourage the starlings. Discourage the nest raiders by using a metal pole or mounting a predator guard.

A well placed bluebird box will attract a mated pair. It may take a year or two but once they
settle in they will be back year after year.

Welcome Sign and Bluebirds

Spring is right around the corner (here in South Carolina it has already arrived.) And right on the heels of the warmer weather are the birds. If you left your Birdhouses out all winter you need to make sure they are ready for occupancy. Some birds will take an old nest and reinforce it, but like people, most birds don’t want to move into a mess. When I look for a new home, it doesn’t have to be new but it better be clean.

I cleaned out my Bluebird Boxes last fall, but I’m keeping a close eye on them. The sparrows are back in town and they’ll move in in a heartbeat. Until the Bluebirds arrive I’ll be evicting the squatters.

I refuse to rent my houses out to Sparrows.

The Bluebirds will be arriving in a couple of weeks. Once they do I’ll be flipping the Vacancy
sign over.

They are awesome tenants. (Now if I could get them to pay the rent…)

South Carolina Shorebirds

The South Carolina shores are home to a wide variety of birds. The sea gulls follow the shrimp boats as they troll the waters, and can be seen along the shores searching for crustaceans washed up with the tide. While the sea gulls are a common site along the shore they are not considered shorebirds.

Shorebirds are waders. Most have small bodies with long, thin legs for wading. They inhabit the coastal waters, wetlands, interior grasslands and the arctic tundra.

Shorebirds belong to the avian order Charadriiformes. Within the order there are numerous families and species.

Most have small bodies with long, thin legs for wading. They have three unwebbed toes that point forward with a hind toe that is reduced or absent.

They inhabit the coastal waters, wetlands, interior grasslands and the arctic tundra.

The coast of South Carolina is 187 miles in length but when you add the islands, bays, and estuaries, the total shoreline measures over 3,000 miles. It is home for many beautiful and fascinating birds.

Shorebirds begin nesting in early April. Endangered birds such as the American oystercatcher and the least tern build their nests on beachfronts, in mounds of shells, or in the marsh, well above the high-tide line.

Most shorebirds are migratory birds. They will travel thousands of miles between their nesting grounds and their wintering grounds. The shores of South Carolina are a frequent rest stop for migrating shorebirds.

The number of shorebirds has declined over the years. Loss of suitable nesting habitat appears to be the leading cause. There is also an increase in the number of egg stealing predators. If disturbed by humans, a shorebird will abandon its nest.

Learn How to Say No

Who needs sleep? Well, I do and that's part of the problem. If I didn't need to sleep I could write hundreds of articles, volunteer at the library, bake cookies for my Bible study group, plan lessons that rock, call parents every time their child sneezes, (that's code for acting up in class)
maintain a clean house, and still have time to relax with a good book. But I need to sleep. I like to be busy but when busy crosses over to crazy I lose control, and quality and productivity suffers.

I love to write. It started out as a dare but soon evolved into a passion. I would gladly sit and write all day. I even considered giving up my career andfollowing my bliss. It was temping but
it would take years to get my online writing to the point where it could replace my paycheck. I had to find a way to do both. The key was to learn how to set priorities and learn how to say no.

Finding a balance between one’s passions and one’s responsibilities is not easy. Setting priorities is the first step, learning how to say no is the second. Children usually learn to say no by the age two. "NO!" is the hallmark of the terrible twos.

The transition from "no" to agreeable children and then people pleasing adults is encouraged, even lauded. We learn to say yes or at the very least soften the no with excuses and explanations. Even with legitimate excuses we are often fraught with guilt.

Is saying no a selfish act?

Sometimes, but there comes a time when saying no is the right thing to do. I will always be an agreeable adult. There will be times when I want to say no but will end up saying yes. That's not going to change. When a new teacher comes to me for help with their grade book or wants help
building an interactive lesson, I'm not going to say no. It's a part of my job and sharing my expertise is important.

Again, it’s a matter of setting priorities. The dust bunnies under the bed will grow into tigers before I get around to vacuuming, and I no longer attend three writinggroups a month. Reading four books a week is a thing of the past. I’ll read one and listen to another while cleaning or cooking.

Do you say yes when you want to say no, grumble at the lack of time to do what you really want to do? Give it some thought. Saying no is not that hard. It just takes practice.