The Lion's Pride Volume 9 (January 2018) | Page 43

The first thing I need to do is to clean out last year’s nest. My
birdhouse sits atop an eight-foot galvanized pole, so I need a step-stool
to get to it. Once I unscrew it from its perch, I take it into the garage to
clean it out. The right side of the birdhouse is held shut with a screw.
This side of the birdhouse is hinged, so once I remove the screw, it
swings open, enabling me to get at the nest. I like to examine it closely,
to see what materials the birds used to make it. Last year’s nest was a
tangle of sphagnum moss, tiny fragments of wood, and dog hairs.
Next, I clean the house out with a solution of one part bleach to nine
parts water. Using this solution, I give the entire inside a good
scrubbing. I then leave it outside, so it can thoroughly dry in the warm
spring air. Once it is completely dry, I add a handful of wood chips to
the house; this makes it more appealing to the birds. After I do all these
things, I close it up, secure the right side with the screw, and mount it
again, to the top of the pole.
Next, I like to provide nesting material for the chickadees. My
material of choice comes from my sister’s dog, Finn. I make a special
trip to her house just to collect hair from his luxurious coat. He gets a
brushing, and I get my nesting material. It’s a win-win for the both of us.
I place two to three good-sized handfuls of the collected fur into a mesh
bag, specifically designed for this purpose, and hang it close to the
nesting house. I take great pleasure in knowing that the undercoat that
helped to keep Finn warm through the cold winter will now help keep