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Numbering Nestboxes(All material was originally posted on the mailing list Bluebird-L or Bluebird and reposted here with only slight modifications to make them more readable in an HTML format, for more information about Bluebird-L check out the following http://www.cit.cornell.edu/cit-pubs/email/using-lists/index.html. or for the mailing list Bluebird run by Dusty Bleher check out http://fsinc.com/wildbirds/Bluebird/List)If you are the author of a posting to one of the mailing lists and you would like to see a particular post (or posts) removed from these web pages please contact me at: bluebirdbox@cox.net and I will remove whatever material you like. If you have an opinion different than one posted hear you need not contact me as often I will have a different opinion also. My intent is to try and provide both sides to the issues confronting bluebirders and to do so in an impartial manner.In cases in which quoted material has been deleted to save space, it is indicated by an ellipsis (....) In addition to the messages that have appeared on the Bluebird Mailing Lists on this topic I have the following on my web site:
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 13:07:25 -0400 Hi everyone!
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 15:18:00 -0400 On 7/29/02 1:07 PM, Lisa Bennett wrote: > Hi everyone! Lisa, Don't limit yourself to letters and/or numbers. Be creative! I have 4 boxes in one location that were assembled by kids. I called the boxes Adam, Chris, Dennis, and Danny. Here at home, I prefer a more descriptive name for the location, so for example I use POLE for the one on the telephone pole, EOL for the one at the "edge of lawn," and BWF for the one on the barbed-wire fence. Good luck! Brenda Nature Club of Central New York
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 12:38:50 -0700 (PDT) Lisa, When me and my husband put up our boxes we decided to name them the different states in which they where located from our state. For instance we are in Okla. so that is the center of our trail, then the nestbox that is south from our houses is Texas box, the one west was California box, north was Kansas box, and then the one further north was Nebraska box. This really only works for a small trail with few boxes. We also thought of different places like Yosemite Box, Yellowstone box, Stonehenge box. It was fun but now we just have numbers since we added more boxes. Good luck! --- Lisa Bennett <lisab@superdups.com> wrote: ...
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2002 07:54:35 -0400 on 7/29/02 1:07 PM, Lisa Bennett at lisab@superdups.com wrote: > Any suggestions for numbering boxes? Any create ways to make the Hi Lisa, My box numbering consists of a three digit system. The first digit is the
location and the next two digits is the the number of the box in the sequence
that it is usually checked. For example, I have three boxes in my yard and
monitor them in a counter-clockwise circle. The first digit for all three is "1"
for the location. The first box I habitually check is numbered "01" which makes
it box number "101". A local business in town is home to several more boxes and
they are numbered (in the sequence I usually monitor As for an aesthetically pleasing means of numbering, I'm about as fussy as the birds are, and use a black marker. The numbers wear off in time so the marker is something as important to carry on my monitoring rounds as a screwdiver. BTW, all my boxes are constructed using coated deck screws (Phillips Head) for ease in repairs when needed. I found that an unauthorized person(s) was using his own screwdriver to open the boxes and to combat this, I replaced the screws holding the doors closed. I replaced them with "Torx Head" screws. Now, it takes a special screwdriver to open the box, a tool not commonly found in most home workshops. I did this on the premise that whoever was opening my boxes (for whatever reason) probably would not go to the trouble and expense of purchasing his own Torx head just to peek into a bluebird box. So far, I've been right. Each time I close a box after checking it, I'll put a blade of grass in the bottom joint of the opening. When the box is opened, the blade of grass falls to the ground. It's the same thing we did as kids to keep tabs on how often Mom monitored our room. :) Regards,
From: "emcooper" <emcooper@bayou.com> I use black and white markers, mostly white as it shows up so nicely on the weathered wood. I use just 1, 2, 3, etc. as my husband would not like having to try to remember anything else. :<) Evelyn Cooper ----- Original Message ----- ...
From: "Bobby Wilson" <bluebirdbob@hotmail.com> Since everyone seem to have a different system for numbering boxes here's
mine. My trail along Highway 141 in 8.7 miles long so I use the posted mile Bob Wilson
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2002 11:29:49 -0700 > Dear Lisa and friends,
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2002 14:08:52 -0500 (Central Daylight Time) I may as well weigh in on the numbering system. first let me say that no
matter what method I prefer, my wife doesn't like it....... I number mine the
way our school district numbers the school buses. The first bus bought each year
is #1, along with year, so first one of 1999 would be 99-01, etc. Since I add
boxes each year, and move them around, it works well for me, just add the new
boxes each spring. So we have: 99-01 through 99-10 (or whatever ending number
is) -------Original Message------- ...
From: "Larry A Broadbent" <rockets@mnsi.net> John Schuster's method on how he numbers his Bluebird boxes on his trails is an excellent one. Using the computer and making a print out will be very useful. Thanks John for sharing this excellent idea with us on this list. I'll likely adopt this method or a slight variation of it for my own projects. Regards, ----- Original Message ----- ...
From: "d.rohde" <d.rohde@attbi.com> For those of you who want to computer map your trail(s) but aren't into freehand computer drawing, there are plenty of cheap (some less than $20 & a few less than $10) pc mapping programs. (Amazon lists 58 mapping programs). I bought one "off the rack" at a CompUSA for $6.99. I zoom in on my region, bring up a complete map of my area and with a single click add a symbol for each nestbox and then enter text identifying the box number, etc. Many include latitude and longitude, valuable if you enter nestbox info in TBN. Doug Bluebirds Across Texas ... one nestbox at at time ----- Original Message ----- Dear Friends, I haven't receive so much accolades about this computer model thing since I first leaned how to tie my own shoelaces. Come to think of it I'm still having trouble keeping them tied (I guess I'll never really grown up.) I'm still a kid inside and will always look at nature with a child's eyes. By the way, before I get into the computer model stuff I want to share something that I saw a couple of weeks ago. While patrolling our Cloverdale vineyard (remember the vandals), I saw a life and death struggle between an Osprey and a Bald Eagle. They flew right over my head (about 40 feet), with the Bald Eagle underneath getting the worst of what the Osprey could dish out. We never bother the river area and I've had nesting Osprey down there for year. My guess is that the Bald Eagle was looking to kill a baby Osprey for a easy meal. Well, it didn't work out for Bald Eagle. He got his S--- kicked out of him with desperate flapping wings, blood curdling screams and feathers flying everywhere from one end of the valley all the way over to the other side where I lost sight of them both (about 6 miles away.) What a site and I wish ALL OF YOU could have been there for that one! Wow! Back to the computer model (would rather watch mold grow.) So you want to know how it works do you? Well, I'm not going to tell you!@#$?%&*!#? Just kidding. Unfortunately and I'm just assuming (because I've noticed) that most of you have PC computers. While I'm not going to knock the PC platform (great for business), MACs do have some advantages in the arts. The most basic MAC computers come with a word processor and graphics program called Apple Works 6. If you have a MAC I can help you, if you have a PC....well.... Enter the DRAW PROGRAM OF APPLE WORKS 6. Its just a simple little program, but it can freehand, draw and do type set very well and that is what I use. I go into great detail sometimes or I just give it a KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid.) You know what the piano teacher once said, "Practice makes perfect Johnny" (man did I ever hate piano lessons) so try hammering it out yourself. However, if you get stuck just send me an e-mail and I'll do my best to walk you through it. If you get in trouble though, just hit and hold the FILE icon (located in the upper left corner) then drag to QUIT at the bottom and release the mouse. Then hit DON'T SAVE and start all over again. Until we meet again.... Happy Bluebird Trails To You,
From: "Michael Wheatley" <sialia@cyberdude.com> As an MIS Administrator and APICS certified, I can assure all that meaningful numbering systems nearly always back-fire. Name your trails then ID the boxes sequentially. If using letters, use all letters and the same with numbers. If you think that you may have up to 100 boxes, use a 4 character fixed length numberic ID. You can then increase the quantity by a factor of if numeric, and 26 if lettering. This will also make things easier for computerizing your records. If a single exception occurs in a meaningful system, the entire system is void; remember things change. Trust me, I have seen it happen more than once. Mike in NW OH
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