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Nestbox VandalismDate: Mon, 06 Mar 2000 04:45:25 PST Nothing directly on vandalism on Jim's Best Of Bluebird-L Classified, but I did NOT sort through the miscellaneous categories. Vandalism is one hell of a problem especially in public places. That is one of the reasons why I do not paint or stain the exteriors of boxes. I want them to mellow down to a soft gray so that they blend into the landscape..... I do not put warning tags on the boxes. In my opinion, that is an "invitation to investigate" and those who are bent on destruction will destroy no matter WHAT warnings are put on the box. And some people will destroy a box BECAUSE someone has warned them NOT to....especially if they view the box as some kind of government project. Another suggestion: don't put boxes near road intersections. Oftentimes vandals will stop to throw out trash ot empty a cigarette tray at intersections....and while they are stopped, they take just an extra moment to trash the nest box at the intersection. It is important to remember that kids do grow up and find other things to amuse themselves.....so a good nesting site can be reconsidered after a couple of years. I've done that successfully any number of times. Take a look at the surroundings...if there is an accumulation of beer bottles/cans, pizza boxes, McD trash in an area, that can only mean that people are congregating there...and if they congregate there....they're likely to be looking for something to do...and there goes your box. Put boxes some distance away from parking areas, footpaths and heavily traveled areas...people are lazy and if they can bash something and get in a car and drive away that's the way they like it. If it's a little farther away...they'll think twice about expending the energy. Dean Sheldon, Huron County, OH From: "Elizabeth Nichols" birdlady"at"netstorm.net Betty Nichols, Middletown, MD 40 mi. NW Wash. D.C.(birdlady) ... Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 08:38:59 -0500 Betty Nichols, Middletown, MD 40mi NW Wash DC (birdlady) Hello Dean and all: Many thanks for your welcome response. My trail was established 7 yrs. ago, boxes weathered nicely. Will remove Warning signs but have now attached lockout tape around NABS top opening boxes once a nest has been cupped. It takes a phillips screw driver or diagonals to remove lockout tape (similar to handcuffs). I will, indeed move vandalized (egg destruction) box away from walk area. Will talk w/local deputy sheriff for increased patrols but intend to keep this problem from public due to presence of Mrs. Earlybird box (away from travelled area). Publicity would create an open invitation to vandals to do a number on the rest of the boxes as you know. Thank you again for taking the time to respond. It is so disheartening to deal w/this. Betty Nichols, NABS Speakers Bureau, BSP member, MD Ornithological Society. Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 10:04:42 -0500 Hello Dean and all: Just one more question: I have prepared TBT signs for installation on 11 box trail in County Park. In view of your comments, do you feel it is best NOT to install the TBT signs? Looks like $35.00 to NABS has bit the dust! Many thanks, Betty Nichols, Middletown, MD Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 10:38:58 -0600 Dean and all: I just erected 12 new box systems at a refuge area which will have Boy Scouts, etc., from time to time. I used a gray Thompson's Waterseal on them, and sprayed the dangling 4" predator guard gray also. They are mounted on steel fence posts. They blend in with the background so well, you just don't notice them. I also used some discretion in where I put them as you said about intersections. The Waterseal comes out kind of streaky, and as the box ages, it will look even more like gray wood. Bill ... Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 14:16:58 EST If people are opening the boxes and vandalizing them perhaps the design of the box has to include a place for a padlock? Tina Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 14:54:36 EST Betty, There might be something on vandalism in Best of Bluebird_L Classified, but I can't specifically remember it (it sounds like a topic in the making). I would suspect there is very little. I do know of a few good techniques: Gilbertson boxes are good for those individuals who just open the boxes and mess things up because for the most part they can't figure out how to open them up, however they are relatively easy to know the whole box to the ground. The tags that were discussed in a thread earlier this year late last year, dealing with warning the offender of the legality of vandalizing nests, eggs, etc. Although this makes the monitoring process more tedious you can screw down the nest box access panel (top, side, etc.) so that the would be vandal must take more serious action. Often these steps will discourage vandals, but not always. The absolute best way, IMHO, to discourage nestbox vandals is to camouflage the nestboxes. This can be done most easily by not painting boxes and just letting them fade into a natural gray color. The only box that I feel needs / should be painted is the Gilbertson and Steve does those in such a way that they look like birch trees. I can tell you from my experience nest boxes that are camouflaged in such a way can be very difficult to locate (I know I have walked right by mine on my trail many a time) Jim McLochlin Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2000 13:13:31 PST Hey: If these guys are REAL vandals, they'll just take a ball bat and knock the box right off the post. I don't think that a padlock would present a threat to any would-be vandal. I'm not quarreling with you...these people aren't curious about what's in a nest box....THEY WANT TO DESTROY SOMETHING....ANYTHING. Dean Sheldon ... Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 16:27:09 -0500 I've set back on this subject for as lo ng as I can. First I'm retired always liked birds and was interested in BBL in late 40's. My first success was in '85 was took couple years before I heard of NABS, joined it attended meeting allover USA etc. Had no help for wood etc etc but learned the hard way. Now they want grants in the thousands to build a house make a study****you name it. You can build signs etc protected from vandalizing etc etc by govt etc. You are whistling Dixie. At one time I figured my cost per BBL was $8.00. I fledge these last few years +200 and will crack 3000 this year was over 300 until the cold wet springs of early 90's. Still working tobuild my base. I have vandalize and have tried it all. Should add over these years have had some stolen+++++++still retired ****It is difficult*** no more new ones but will fight as long as I can (82 ) N/W Ohio Sorry see some errors so so so BoB Rager Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 16:35:48 -0500 (EST) One advantage of hanging nestboxes is that they discourage vandalism. Evidently a number of people are testing hanging boxes this year and working on improvements. http://home.earthlink.net/~lviolett/ Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 16:38:38 -0500 Subject: Re: vandalism It isn't just opening the boxes that is the concern. Do I recall that someone on the list had boxes that had firecrackers put in them while the birds were nesting? Brenda ... Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 16:47:26 -0500 ... Reply: Dean, you are so right!!!Last January I reported to List-serv that very incident where they smashed the box & caused the death of brooding mother & 2 babies. I was able to save remaining 3 placed them in new box & father BB fed to maturity after fledging. If that happens again I will remove trail in the Fall and relocate . Betty Nichols Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 16:54:10 EST The firecrackers were put in a box on the trail that is monitored by Steve and Regina Garr - Nashville Tennessee. We are still trying to get over the heartbreak. Bill Gould Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 17:07:39 EST You're right. I was in Montreal this summer in Lachine that had a public park. It was very well planned. It was by a river. They had a path for people and a path for bikes with yellow lines to separate the traffic going in different directions. They had bird houses that were sufficienlty high that no human could reach them. The water birds used the grassland next to the river. They had sandbars in the river for birds to stand on. I don't know what kind of bird they were trying to attract to the birdhouses- the birdhouses were the apartment complex type of birdhouse with several compartments. Tina Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 17:16:08 EST Ok I'll try again. I have seen kids with firecrackers and birds and the Parks Dept. was very interested. Usually when kids are acting this way, it is not only the birds towards which they are acting destrucively. They are usually cutting classes and determined to get into trouble. Breaking the rules and being outside of where they are supposed to be makes them vulnerable to threats of reporting them. But be careful anyway. Tina Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 16:19:56 -0600 Dean wrote: If these guys are REAL vandals, they'll just take a ball
bat and knock That, of course, is true. However, I tried to be a little cerebal with four boxes I put up as a sort of experiment this afternoon. As stated earlier today, I am now using Thompson's Waterseal in a gray shade to hasten the color change. Also, with the permission of the utilities manager, I put the boxes on Electric Utlity poles. I put them on the right side of the road, on the side of the poles away from thrown bottles, bricks, etc., at least if not invisible, a small target. That way they are too far away for a passenger to throw to from the other direction. My redneck bubbas in their 4x4 trucks love to throw at signs, or anything that makes a target. I don't worry about anyone walking and vandalizing; vandals around here are too lazy to walk. I drove back over the trail, and I am well pleased with my results. 90% of the drivers will never notice them. I will also post the mix formula for the Waterseal I use if anyone would like to have. That way, if you want to use it, anyplace can mix it. Bill Darnell, Savannah, TN
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 17:48:21 -0500 From: Bruce Burdett, NH Bluebird Conspiracy, Sunapee NH I fasten each of my NABS side-opening houses with one 2" brass Phillips (sp?) round-head screw, so a vandal would have to have a Phillips screwdriver to open them. Vandalism has never been a problem at any of my sites. Of course, it's partly because all the houses are pretty well off the beaten track and on people's private property, so you'd almost have to be trespassing to even see them. Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 18:33:18 -0500 Betty Nichols, Middletown (30 mi NW Wash. D.C) Birdlady Hey there, Bob Rager: I can't possibly answer all this mail but couldn't resist sending you this one. I am 10 yrs. your Junior, joined NABS a year after it was formed. I, too, am an old-timer. Yes, I can remember my boxes being stolen, smashed and heaven knows what-all! Hey, Bob, do you remember when the only source of information was thru SIALIA??? There was no high falootin data available like we have now! People like you and I flew "by the seat of our pants!" It was trial & error! We learned the hard way! Keep it up, old timer, if it weren't for people like you we would only have pictures of Bluebirds! Thanks for your love and dedication to these beautiful birds. Betty Nichols Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 20:48:11 -0500 A padlock would be quite visible. How about a screw with the square drive? That would keep the "door" shut, the screwhead is so small it is invisible, but requires the monitor to carry a small tool to inspect the cavity. Fawzi Emad, Laytonsville, Maryland Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 23:25:24 EST Dick Purvis, Anaheim CA, rain Before I switched to hanging boxes I mounted my boxes on trees using a 6' step ladder. Standing tippytoes on top of the ladder, I could get the boxes up about 12' high. My boxes are in public parks in urban areas so I have to get them out of reach. I still lost many of them to vandals. If they couldn't reach them they would throw rocks or break them up with a shovel, etc. In one park I lost seven out of ten in one year. Some were destroyed with active nests in them. I think some of the problem here in the west is that people don't know what they are. They tear them down out of curiosity as well as meanness. Most people who see me working with the nestboxes ask me if I am trapping medflies. I suspect there are fewer problems in the south and east since most people there do know about bluebird nestboxes. After I switched to hanging boxes most of the vandalizing problems stopped (but not all). I normally hang my boxes about 18' high. Not many people notice them since they are so high and they are painted blue gray to match the sky. A vandal has to work hard to get to them. In one park located in a gang area of town I tried putting a box up because it looked perfect for bluebirds. Each week when I came back it would be gone. I kept trying for three years with the same results. Finally I put an 8' extension on my 16' lifter handle and was able to get the box up 30' high and out at the end of a small branch. I put a note in the box saying, "If you get this one I give up". Two weeks later I checked. The box was still there and had a bluebird nest with six eggs on top of the note! Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 02:26:43 -0500 ...All, This is what I've been doing for years. It works great. It will not stop the baseball bat and fire cracker types but it certainly prevents a lot of inquisitive openings! Most folks don't carry a square driver around with them. On the other hand, if your trail is a distance from your home, you had better not forget your square driver either! ;-) Have Fun and Have a great cavity nesting year. Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 06:25:17 -0600 From Tena Taylor, Calhoun County, Mississippi The real world as we know it today intruded on my little part of Camelot night before last. We had placed 8 nestboxes on our road leading to the "main" road, two of them maybe 30 feet from our road. As I was leaving yesterday morning early I noticed that one of the boxes had been demolished. When my better three quarters got home in the afternoon he checked, and it had been absolutely smashed...only the side with the number was left. AND the box just before had the top pried loose, and inside the box was......a well used set of scales to weigh grams! So when I got home last night, we immediately called the sheriff's office, and within 15 minutes 2 deputies arrived. Now, I know for a fact that my birds have no need of those scales. What a convenient drop....a numbered 'box' easily accessible to anybody knowing where to look! Thankfully, those were two new boxes that had not been claimed yet and had no nests. I naively thought that our small-town rural Mississippi area was untouched with that problem. Another reason to monitor regularly...I had checked all my trail late Wednesday afternoon, so we knew exactly when it had happened! You can be sure I will keep a close eye on the other boxes along that road! From: "Bill Darnell" bdarnell"at"centurytel.net Bill Darnell, Savannah, TN House Sparrows, snakes, starlings, crows, hot weather, now dope heads. .... Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2000 21:10:16 -0600 Just a note to tell you that the druggies smashed my nestbox in which we found the scales last night between 4 and 8! Maybe they'll go on to another area! It just really makes me angry that they were using my nestboxes to carry on their dirty business! Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 01:12:46 EST Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 08:34:42 -0500 Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas I got a call Friday about five orphaned Eastern Bluebirds. Female was found mortally wounded in the yard then 4 days later the male was seen killed by a car. He said the babies are at "least" 14 days old which would have been perfect for my "yard" bluebirds. Well they turned out to be about 6 days old! Five birds that were not fed for 24 hours. (They had another pair of bluebirds wanting the box but not the babies.) Sandy, Shawn and I spent and hour trying to catch enough insects to fill them up. Was not possible, so we raced off to the trail I checked 8 days before. Now the tragedy! This loop around town is roadside boxes and we started checking boxes that had eggs since one was bound to have young the right age. A 12 mile section of road was stripped of eggs! None are missing at someone's house or even part way up the driveway. No white eggs were taken. No baby birds were missing. No nests were missing or disturbed. Several boxes had the grass beaten down around the box. Someone stole about 50 Blue bluebird eggs in an 8 day period. This ranks right up with the time someone(s) stole 69 nestboxes over a 30 day period! At one of these "missing egg" boxes I lost my cool and slammed the old nest down at the base of the post. I normally am extremely careful not to drop ANY material near the box. Now on Sunday afternoon at this empty box I had caught two Eastern Coachwhip snakes in the same Harry Krueger snake trap. One 52" & and the other 64" long, fire ants killed the smaller snake and I released the larger one. Six miles down the road a family had removed a bluebird nest and "passed it around" for the children to hold the nest containing young a few days from fledging. I assume they spilled nest contents by the pole, but irregardless a snake was trapped under this box the next morning. I have had 6070 snake traps installed on active native cavity
nesters for 3 months now and rotate them to another active box
as the young fledge. PS:The orphans were placed with a single nestling Friday the
same age and the parents were livid when I returned Sunday.
I don't know if they were Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 18:44:47 -0400 Hi Keith & All: Sorry to learn of your frustrations with thoughtless people. About 3 mo. ago I posted a suggestion that seems to be working w/nest intrustion by humans. I use a lockout tape around box with a screw in front to prevent opening the lid. One must have a screwdriver to remove screw in front of tape in order to open the box. Had been using phillips screws & Fawzi suggested square screwdriver bit , so far it has protected the nest very well. It takes longer to monitor the trail but well worth the effort. Betty Nichols, Middletown, MD Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 9:37:00 -0400 Greetings All, This is a tough Bluebird year in my immediate area this year. After having 15 EABL fledge from my single box in my backyard last year I had high hopes this year. Spring was a very long time in arriving this year. I put up 2 boxes in my yard where I had one last year. I also put up a single box in an old, little used State facility with a lot of open space which is across the street from my property. My backyard boxes have been bedeviled by a HOSP this spring. I have taken nest material daily from the one box that he claimed only to have it be rebuilt. There has been no sign of EABL in my yard at all. The box on the school property, however, was promptly claimed by a Bluebird pair and indeed they laid 5 eggs. I have been out of town in the last few days and upon my return I found a complete HOSP nest in my backyard box with 6 eggs in it. That will be removed tonight. I even think that I'll take that box down and leave the single one up to see what happens. Maybe it will attract a Tree Swallow. The real upsetting event however is the total disappearance of my box on the school property. No box, no pole, no nest material, no broken eggs. It simply has vanished. This is obviously the work of vandals. The Bluebirds were in about the 6th day of incubation. What enjoyment this could possibly bring to anyone is beyond me. This was in an open campus type area of a State School that closed a decade ago. It has very little use other than some joggers, walkers, and bikers from the immediate residential neighborhood and these are all adults. Very few kids. It is a puzzle to me with no evidence at the crime scene of any kind. I would be less upset if this was the work of a Raccoon, a snake, or a HOSP attack. I can accept the natural process of that. I will be putting up another box over there in a different location in hopes of attracting 2nd nesters. Ward Kirkwood Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 11:36:25 -0400 To: Ward K., et al, If there's any kind of lesson in this sortof thing, I suppose it's that we all need to be extra shrewd, selective, and careful about LOCATION, given the restrictions imposed by our individual neighborhoods. We all wish you both luck and endless patience. Bruce Burdett, NH Bluebird Conspiracy, Sunapee NH Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 12:52:00 -0400 Thanks for your thoughts Bruce. I would love to have caught them. Does anyone know, assuming I could actually identify the perpetrator(s), whether I actually could have a charge brought on the federal law against destroying the nest of a native songbird? I suppose I could attempt a complaint in small claims court for the loss of the personal property (the box and pole) but maybe the local paper would pick up on the federal violation charge. Something like this could have some educative effect if nothing else. I know courts have trouble convicting murderers but this is akin to it. In the end I suppose it would be my word against his that there was actually a nest with eggs in that box Regards, From: "Phil Berry" mrtony8"at"home.com The golf course where my trail is located is undergoing major renovations. Among the improvements is a new cart path. Areas that formerly were unaccessible now have a beautiful concrete path runnning through them. And for some reason, the darn thing follows my trail! Problem: Human predation. On a tour yesterday afternoon I discovered several boxes that had been opened, the retaining nails thrown away, some with pine cones in them, etc. I have never had to face this before. With a proposed 10 fold increase in boxes planned for next nesting season, I am just plain worried. My thoughts run like this: one end of the spectrum would be to lock them up with appropriate hardware and a lock and key, with signs posted on the boxes stating something like..."state and federal laws protect migrating birds. any person touching these boxes commits a crime.." or language akin to this. the other end of the spectrum would be education. Passing out flyers that explain what goes on in the boxes, encouraging those who live/golf here can take pride in the birds that are produced here, etc. I have even read from some that they encourage folks to "adopt" a box, even open them to check on the kids. I would imagine the middle road to be best, but am really starting to worry about next spring. Any thoughts out there? Phil Berry From: "Bill Darnell" bdarnel3"at"bellsouth.net The little sign would be OK, but just might tempt some ne'er do well to rip it open. I suggest the method I use: Close them with a decking screw of appropriate length. Use a hex head screw. Take a battery powered drill motor with you with a hex-head driver in it. Never had one of these opened by anyone. Bill From: "Bruce Burdett" blueburd"at"srnet.com) Phil, Bill's idea of using screws as fasteners is the one I've always used. I've never had any human predation, though I'll admit that I have no houses on golf courses or in public parks. I've always used brass round-head screws with plain slot heads. But Bill's use of hex-heads sounds even better. Very few people carry around a tool that could turn them. Maybe these screws with square holes would be better still. Almost nobody carries a tool for them. A good cordless drill is also a useful thing to have along, as is a hive tool. Bruce Burdett, SW NH, where it's getting cooler, but is still extremely dry. From: "Fawzi P. Emad femad <at> fpemad <dot> com Phil and all. I use screws with the square hole (available as decking screws as well as SS screws at Home Depot and other large hardware outlets.) You'll need a special screwdriver (or bit) to take them on and off for inspection of the nestbox. I use these on all my boxes, hence I need only one tool to inspect the boxes. Fawzi ... Date: Tue, 04 Sep 2001 06:40:00 -0700 Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif. Phil, you did not mention what types of predators which are present on your golf course in addition to the human vandals. Have you considered converting your golf course trail to hanging boxes? http://home.earthlink.net/~lviolett/ Hanging boxes will keep them out of reach of most human predation. Hanging boxes will enable you to keep the boxes above strong sprinkler systems and errant golf balls. Hanging boxes under the canopy of trees will keep them cooler in your hot climate and will keep them more visually protected. Tree cover will also provide more split-second protection from diving hawks. Those are the advantages of hanging boxes on the golf course . . . do you have any special circumstances on the golf course to offset those advantages? From: TomGaryH"at"aol.com Phil & All, A few well-designed, professional-appearing posters placed at two or three strategic locations, eg., pro shop, locker room, bar, luncheon area, ought to go a long way in getting across the idea that the nestboxes are part of the club - sort of as important as the club's dad burn tees and greens and cart paths and benches, etc. I recommend the poster have a life-sized nextbox photo or air-brushed nestbox graphic as the "eye-catcher" with an appropriate information sheet explaining the purpose of the boxes. If the club is working toward Audubon certification or if certification might be sought in the future that could be noted. I would include a contact name and telephone number and a request for volunteers. "Briefing" golf course employees that work in the immediate vicinity of a poster might be useful as well -- befriending them would be better. An information sheet, probably slightly different from the poster's sheet, hand delivered to each resident along the course could get more eyes looking out for the nestboxes and may get more conversation about and appreciation for birds and conservation. My seven boxes have phillipshead screw retainers for the doors. I would not want to have to monitor 100+ boxes having this method for door locks. Copper tags (approx. 1/2 inch by 2 1/4 inch) are available that have "Bluebird nest box tampering violates federal law" on them. I use these. Tom Heintzelman Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2001 11:57:40 -0500 My seven boxes have phillipshead screw retainers for the doors.
I would not I've monitored 180+ boxes once a week for many years now using a hex head screw driver/self drilling hex head screws. It has worked well for me. I find it depends upon the particular screw driver you use......mine has a thin handle, which seems to work best for me. It's all a matter of practice and the method you become accustomed to using....... Ann Wick From: "Randy Jones" randyj"at"enter.net Randy Jones Any thoughts out there? Phil, I've begun to use square-head screws to close those of my boxes which are close to traffic. I think it helps. From: DottyRogers"at"netscape.net Hi all, We've used square-recessed screws for several years with perfect record so far, knock wood. Most of our 100+- boxes are on town land. We've made opening tools for them; cut a 3" piece of dowell, drill it at midpoint (1.5") to receive back of bit (part that fit into chuck), glue bit in, paint handle Day-Glo orange (for when you drop it: long grass!) Pop bit into recessed square, spin handle and zip, you're into box. Reverse, locked up again. We drill holes for screw so that head is below level of wood; recessed; you just cannot mess with it. Best of luck! Dot, eastern MAss From: "Fawzi P. Emad femad <at> fpemad <dot> com I like your idea! However, one can also find screw-drivers with the square end already available, like any other hand held screwdriver. I found one at Lowes for only $2. I bought several... Home Depot used to have them, but do not any more. Fawzi ... From: "Karen Louise Lippy" brdbrain"at"superpa.net From: "Karen Louise Lippy" brdbrain"at"superpa.net NEVER, NEVER, NEVER let the idiots win!!!!!!! ... From: "ke4fej1" ke4fej1"at"email.msn.com Hi All, I think I would try to catch them in the act. I also think you have a bigger chance that they will move on to other boxes if those two are not back up. And they might think it a grin to tear them up again. I'd be there. I'd find a way to get the time covered with people, and a cell phone, a camera...it could be done. Let the authorities do the capturing. Maybe put a very clean glass on top too or clean sheets of hard plastic.......you might get prints! I don't like hearing the disregard for life. Ya hear it said those that kill small animals move on to hurting or worse, larger animals and people. But it could be in this case, that they are kids which don't see a bird house as a place that really does anything but let a bird land on or maybe just go into. As I might have said around where I live most don't know that birds really do use a bird house to raise a family. I think they think it is decoration. I think I pretty much thought that way. I have many ask me why I have to put up houses and why don't they just use the trees. Many people have not been educated as to what birds really do. If you could catch them and they are juveniles it could change their lives and ours in the long run. You could also ask the Judge for them to be helpful with the birds and learn. Anything is possible. If it is an adult, if they are not destroying your boxes ...I would bet ya they are doing something else. And this crime, if stopped, could be the "straw that broke the camel's back". Every little crime one does ...."does" add up with time. So.... give it a try. It is just another phase of monitoring. Detective. Later Christy Sarasota, FL Subject: RE: bluebirds lost to vandals I would like to suggest that if we publicize the work we do on trails, ask for youth groups to become involved, and ask the community to be a part of what we do, we could reach out to people and help them understand how important creating habitats and providing cavities for cavity nesting birds really is. Ask for the camera crew from a local TV station to come out and witness a trail being monitored. Ask for the paper and radio to do a story about the trail you manage. Put a sign up on or near the box that explains what you are doing. Let the golfers or others know what you are doing, the more eyes watching the more protection. Invite the schools and youth groups to participate and be a part of the process. We can say that the people who vandalize the boxes are punks all we want, but what good does that do? Just makes us more mad. Put the boxes in the same place and get some PR. Write a letter to the editor...the list is endless. I say- get out into the community and give the community a reason to care. I gave a talk to 20 boys form a downtown youth group a few Saturdays ago. As I arrived the boys looked like they would rather be anywhere but on a bird walk with me. I had the Identiflyer with me, several field guides and several binoculars. I passed items around, asked the boys to be responsible for them (letting the boys know that my Swaroski binoculars cost about 1,200.00). As we started into the woods, one of the boys was frightened by the sound of a bullfrog- which he had never heard before-. I told them about frogs and the sounds they make, showed them the frogs and let them hold them. We walked, talked and I continued to ask for the boys to help me ID birds we saw. There was a nest box on the property and we watched the bluebirds go in and out feeding the birds. We opened the box and I showed them the eggs. We calculated how soon the birds would hatch, fledge, etc. I asked them to keep an eye on the boxes so nothing would happen to the bluebirds. As I ended my presentation and walk, all but two boys offered to help carry everything to my car. No, nothing was missing. A few days ago I received a call from one of the boys wanting to know where to see the Peregrine Falcons lived downtown and could he go look at them. He wanted to take his little brother to see the birds. I received a call from the organizer and he said the boys want to come back to do the bird walk again (all but two boys- though even they asked about the bluebirds). Vandalism may happen, raccoons are vandals, cats are vandals...but if you share your love and knowledge of bluebirds and other cavity nesting birds- I think it will pay off big time. We live in communities and we should act like it. Be a part of the community that cares. Alicia Craig Date: Sat, 20 Jul 2002 09:56:37 -0700 Dear Friends, Yes, what can we do? Not much I'm sorry to say. At the 3 Field Vineyard properties we deal with all kinds of vandalism and trespassers. The Cotati, vineyard isn't that bad, but the other 2 properties have all kinds of challenges, mostly trespassers tearing through the vineyards with their ATV making clouds of dust (dust is very bad for vines because that's how dust mites get on the vines.) I could never place a Bluebird trail where these guy tear through the property as they would just use them for batting practice. Once I heard a dirt bike tearing through the growth down by the river near our vineyard and I could tell he was on his way back. My friend Bob and I waited for this guy so we could confront him and when he emerge, I signed to him to stop. He just gunned his accelerator, sped passed us (missing us by inches), and give us the bird as he sped way up river. I've often though about making booby traps for these morons. I've toyed with the idea of a plank full of protruding nails hidden underground on the trails where these ATVs travel. I love the idea of a ATV driver having to push his ATV (with flat tires) 5 miles back to the parking lot at the bridge up river from our vineyard. However, I have never taken such drastic measures. Why should I lower myself to their level or risk a lawsuit. Just sharing my frustrations, but do not act on my fertile imagination Then there are the poachers that shot our ducks, quail and other game. These guys even shot our water tanks as I just got a report about bullet holes in one of our tanks yesterday. The challenges are endless. My nest boxes are within view of the houses, but I have more room to place more, but I'm afraid that they will just get destroyed by these vermin. Not long ago I put up 2 Bluebird and 1 Barn Owl nest box at a local Boys and Girls Club in Sonoma, California for their garden. I told the directors in advance that vandalism could take place. They asked me, "Could we just take the nest boxes inside at night?" Wow? I politely told them that isn't how it works etc. My dad once told me "That it only takes 5 guys to screw it up for everyone else" and what was true yesterday is still true today. There will always be people that lack character or think it's funny to damage something that doesn't belong to them. The only thing you can do is try to out smart these louts. Look around you and ask yourself, "Could vandalism take place here?" then act on what your gut instinct tells you. ... From: "ke4fej1" ke4fej1"at"email.msn.com Later Christy Sarasota, FL Date: Sat, 20 Jul 2002 14:55:51 -0700 Dear Christy and friends, There is more to this "Vandalism" story and I do not have the time to completely spell everything out. I'll try to be brief, but there's an agenda that is completely beyond my or any of the other land owners control along the Russian River basins. It has to do with the local public access laws and other laws that deny land owners the right to develop or protect their own land. Yes, people are supposed to stay off "private property", but if they are "in sight of the river" that is known as "public access" and the public then has the right to use the river and rightly so. I have no problems with anybody swimming down, floating by, cannoning, fishing from or anything in the river, but that isn't what is happening. We've had the County Sheriff out, but it is hard to pin these "Pin Heads" down when he's there. You can wait by the bridge and post all kinds of sign, but nothing seems to work and the County Sheriff has better things to do like dunk donuts or spilling coffee. It's getting to the point where nobody wants to be responsible anymore and those getting hurt are the hard working or some little girl kidnapped from the front of her grandmothers house. That attorney taht got that "LOBO" off doesn't have to be responsible either or the jurry that set him free. You know in the old days they use to hang horse thief's and killers and they did it quickly while it was still fresh in everyone mind. Tar and feathering was a good treatment for hooligans and swindlers. My grandfather broke up a tar and feathering of a thief once (covering someone in hot tar can kill), but those days are all over now. Yes, I'm PISSED OFF or better still... "I'M AS MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!!!!" Wow! That felt good. I guess I'll go see how my Barn Swallows are doing. On a up note (and being a former firefighter myself), I heard about a volunteer fire department in Clay Springs, Arizona, that was order this past week by the Federal Forest Service to leave the area of a raging fire. Basically let the town of Clay Springs burn to the ground. These firefighter refused to leave, took on more volunteers, broke through road blocks, cut fire breaks with civilian owner tractors and saved all but 3 homes in Clay Springs. No Federal charges are being filed against this fire department and they are now known as the "Clay Springs Renegades." That's one for the zipper...I'm mean gipper. Fond regards to all and as always... From: "Keith & Sandy Kridler" kridler"at"1starnet.com Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas Golf courses are perfect to display the NABS or Cornell posters explaining the "plight" of our native cavity nesters. Do the golfer's know "who what and why" these nestboxes are for and who is monitoring them? Is there a kiosk in the parking lot, club house or on the course where a running total of "native" birds can be updated showing what is using the boxes. Use colored pictures above the column of the species using the box. Instead of a bare pole left standing ask if you can take a small white cross and attach it to the pole RIGHT AFTER VANDALISM. Add a short Message like, It took over a million years of evolution to bring the Eastern bluebirds to nest in these nestboxes. It took only 5 seconds for a golfer to destroy this nestbox and next years generation of bluebirds. Or leave the broken nestbox under the pole/cross and simply tell how many bluebirds died when the box was destroyed by a golfer on that particular date. Include a before and after photo on a single sheet of paper and large enough print to easily read it from 15 feet away. You might want to add something like, "If you enjoy seeing the birds while you play golf and wish to see these nestboxes replaced please sign the petition at the club house. What you want is to show the management and golfers how many people REALLY do enjoy the birds while golfing. You can cheaply plastic laminate a plain paper after printing to protect if from the weather. You might show a picture/ info line showing a shot of piled lumber ((90 board feet at $150.00) with 15 hours labor can be turned into 30 finished nestboxes. Same for poles, baffles and installation and then the time frame of monitoring in your area and how long it takes every week to monitor. A series of 6 or 7 photos will go from a board to a finished trail showing how much time and effort is put into this project. Right under this story line show the "life cycle" of the time to build a nest, lay eggs, incubate, feed and raise the young to fledge and then the weeks of post fledge care before they start all over again. If they don't have a permanent protected bill board ask if they have room to set up a free standing display about once every four weeks. Start with the newspaper and do an article showing the successes and failures on a years work on the trail and try to get others involved in the next generation of bluebirds that will be in the area come spring. Stress that NOW is the time to get involved and put up nestboxes! KK Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 10:29:19 -0500 While some have advocated putting nestboxes back up, you might have picked a bad location. Golfers have been known to throw tantrums when they miss a shot and those nestboxes might have been in a location where that happens frequently. It's not always "punks" that destroy things. Kate Oschwald Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 10:57:03 -0500 (Central Daylight
Time) Often, publicity is just what we DON"T want. It sometimes
brings out these jerks. Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 10:46:06 -0700 Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif. Good comments on vandals during the past few days and I agree with Phil Berry about *not* drawing any attention to the boxes--especially not out on the course where vandals sneak in after hours. Vandalism occurs on the golf course which I monitor after the golfers are finished, the gates are closed and the crew has left. Trash cans are hauled onto the interior tennis courts and set on fire along with other after-hours vandalism. My boxes are hanging in trees and not easily seen during the day and they *certainly* do not draw attention at dusk or after nightfall when the vandals start creeping around. Only the golfers are aware of those boxes and, thus, those hanging golf course boxes have sustained no vandal attention, damage or theft. Now, the hanging boxes in public areas are sometimes vandalized but it has *never* occurred on the golf course. If information can be put inside the golf shop, as Keith suggested, that would be fine. But vandalism on the golf course, from my experience, is not done by golfers; it is done after hours by the same mindset of vandals who attack boxes in public parks. The last thing you want to do is draw attention of the "after hours" crowd to those golf course nestboxes. ... From: "ke4fej1" ke4fej1"at"email.msn.com Hi All, This is a Message...that Karen sent to me to get me to comprehend more of what is happening....I don't think it was posted for all to see, but it is mind boggling as to ..the "who" is doing this. "I think we need a ..Bigger.. solution." (I don't think Karen will mind that I pass the following along...look below:) From: Karen Louise Lippy Sent: Saturday, July 20, 2002 6:20 PM Subject: Re: Fw: bluebirds lost to vandals Kristy, Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 12:27:10 -0700 Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif. OK, it seems a few other trails are just beginning to experience the conditions of our suburban/urban trails in relation to vandalism. For those with vandal problems, I've been recommending that you hang boxes about 15 feet high in a thick tree canopies and paint them with camouflage swirls of blue/cream/tan colors. Make them as invisible as possible. Make them as inaccessible as possible. Has *ANYONE* with post-mounted vandal problems tried this? If so, we'd like to know about your before/after results. ... Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 17:21:20 -0500 (Central Daylight
Time) Keith, et al, From: "paul kilduff" plkldf"at"hotmail.com Paul Kilduff, Baltimore MD From: carol fitzpatrick I'm late replying, but just want to contribute this thought: I worked with a group of users on the plan for the future of Druid Hill Park here in Charm City, and the expert the city hired said the rule is that the third time you put the thing back up, it will stay. I don't have direct experience, except that I was once an adolescent male human, and my memory of that time hasn't completely gone away. I believe it is possible that, on the third time, the vandal *will* think, "they're going to put this up every time I knock it down" and stop destroying it. Adolescent male destructiveness, it seems to me, is not an end in itself, but a rebellion against the orderliness of the adult world. Like with a lie detector, there is a built-in sense of what is right, which the vandal is trying to fight against, uphill. I do believe that the third time you replace the vandalized item is the time the vandal will say, "okay, this is getting to be too much trouble," and leave it alone. And in a year or two he'll be grown out of it. And in 20 or 30 or 40 years he'll look back and think, "Jeez, what was I thinking?!" :o\ From: "Keith & Sandy Kridler" kridler"at"1starnet.com Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas In our city park near the swimming pool, tennis court and again at the playground I place the nestboxes where I can back my truck up to the power pole and check the nestbox off of the tail gate of the truck with a sturdy step stool so the box is mounted "eye level" at 9 feet off of the ground. I have found it most important to let the people know that these nestboxes are privately made and monitored WITHOUT any state, federal or local tax money! If they believe their tax money was "wasted" to place these boxes they won't mind taking a few home! If you build "too pretty" types of nestboxes or use too good a quality of lumber there will be theft. At our state park I had the boy scouts build 50 nestboxes and install them. Each box when new had "This bluebird nestbox built and donated by (the boys name) from Scout Troop 101." It was hand written on the boxes side and in 4 years only 2 boxes "disappeared" even though they were wired to posts and spread throughout 640 acres of camping areas and hiking trails. Fifty families now had a "vested interest" in protecting these nestboxes! Just as these birds using our boxes are different so are the local people using our "bluebird trails". Each region is different and some of the urban people have different values or have experienced/seen wildlife only through the TV. It is most important that we share what works for us in public areas as bluebird trails on private lands are great but the birds need help in parks also and WE need to help the PUBLIC become aware in these areas. I believe that Phil's method of education of the golfers in his area would make a great article in NABS BLUEBIRD as would Linda's green belt area trails. There is contrast in people, the two species of birds involved and the differences in climate. Throw in a few working trails in public areas of the north/central states and you have a working blueprint of "How to build a public Bluebird Trail." KK Nestbox Vandalism (Part 2) |
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