Polk County Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 5, 2017 9A
Nesting boxes invite birds to hatch
It would be nice to say,
“Hang a birdhouse and they
will come,” but attracting
wild birds to nest in your
yard isn’t quite so easy.
Don’t get discouraged if
your nesting box doesn’t
draw birds the first year, said
Dana Sanchez, wildlife spe-
cialist for Oregon State Uni-
versity Extension Service.
Move it to a new spot and
put up more than one to
give birds a choice.
It’s most important to get
the size of the entrance hole
correct, she added.
“The entrance diameter is
really crucial so that target
species can get in, but also
to diminish the opportunity
for birds to be attacked by
predators and competitors,”
Sanchez said. “Non-native
birds such as house spar-
rows and starlings are noto-
rious for taking up residence
in nest boxes intended for
native birds. And some na-
tive birds will bully out other
native birds.”
Don’t hang it and forget it.
Check the box regularly to
see if birds are being stalked
by predators. If so, you can
add a block of wood with
the same size hole at the en-
trance to create a tunnel
that makes it difficult for
other birds, squirrels, rats
and cats to reach the babies.
Other discouragements in-
clude a metal collar around
the tree or post where the
box is affixed or any number
of baffles that you can buy
or build. As always, the ad-
vice for cats is to keep them
inside.
In addition to the simple
K YM
P OKORNY
These Polk County groups would welcome individuals
who have time or expertise to volunteer. Organizations
that would like to be added to this list should call 503-623-
2373 or email IOnews@polkio.com.
Your
Garden
enjoyment of watching
mom and dad wing back
and forth with food and
nesting material and baby
birds emerge from the nest,
birdhouses are critical for
mitigating habitat loss, said
Nicole Strong, an Extension
forestry and natural re-
sources agent. Birds prefer
dead or dying trees — called
snags — but not many
urban or suburban home-
owners want a dead tree in
their yard for safety or aes-
thetic reasons.
“If it’s not a hazard, leav-
ing up dead trees gives great
habitat for wildlife,” Strong
said. “As they decay they
provide cavities for birds.
And once the trees crumble
and become downed logs,
they provide food for in-
sects, grubs and other
wildlife. Sick and dead trees
are healthy for the forest;
they’re part of the ecosys-
tem.”
For those willing to host a
dead tree in their yard, cut-
ting off most of the branches
and topping it will reduce
the possibility of damage if
it falls. For others, hanging
birdhouses is a good alter-
native, Strong said. And
now’s the time to get them
up. Nesting time for most
birds is primarily from mid-
April to the end of July.
In the Extension guide
FLIC.KR/P/SNJZCY
Build or buy appropriate nesting boxes to draw the birds
you prefer to your garden.
“The Wildlife Garden: Build
Nest Boxes for Wild Birds,”
you’ll find instructions on
how to build a simple bird-
house, placement recom-
mendations and box dimen-
sions for about 18 species of
cavity-nesting birds, includ-
ing house wrens, chick-
adees, woodpeckers, north-
ern flickers, purple martins,
barn owls, nuthatches and
western bluebird.
If you choose to make or
buy a birdhouse for one of
the 45 Oregon species that
build their nests in cavities,
avoid those with perches,
which provide purchase for
predators. Though it’s fun to
hang colorfully painted
boxes, Sanchez recom-
mends plain ones, which
birds seem to favor. For
longevity, choose untreated
cedar or redwood. Metal can
get too hot.
It’s not necessary, but you
can line the box with wood
shavings or chips. Some
birds will use the material
for nesting but most will
build on top of it. Be sure
not to use sawdust, which
soaks up water and gets
matted down. Clean bird-
houses in fall or winter with
warm water to loosen drop-
pings. Buy or build a house
made with screws so they’re
easy to partially dismantle
when it comes time for
cleaning.
“Remember that a nest-
ing box is just one piece of
habitat,” Strong said. “They
need safe access and food
and water nearby. Bird feed-
ers can be a wonderful aid,
but they must be main-
tained. Be consistent. Don’t
put them out and then take
them away.”
Ad d i n g b i rd - f r i e n d l y
plants to your garden and
providing a var iety of
shrubs in different heights
for shelter will help, too. Be
sure to use bird baths to
offer water.
MI TOWN
We turned the calendar
page to the month of April
last Saturday and everyone
has high hopes that we will
indeed not see many April
showers — as the old song
promised — but more
sunny and blue-sky days.
After going through a win-
ter with snow and ice, as
well as recent record-break-
ing rain, let’s all wish that
Mother Nature will give us
some kinder, gentler weath-
er so we can battle the lat-
est crop of weeds and dan-
delions and get the garden
beds planted.
—
A sure sign that Old Man
Winter has moved to anoth-
er hemisphere and spring
has arrived was last Satur-
day, when two farmers mar-
kets opened in Independ-
ence — at the Umpqua
Bank parking lot and
Riverview Park. Early ar-
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
rivals at the Umpqua Bank
lot were treated to free cin-
namon rolls courtesy of
Ovenbird Bakery, which is
getting to be a most wel-
come tradition. It was
somewhat early in the sea-
son to find many fruits and
vegetables, but there were
lots of flowers, crafts and
clothing items available, as
well as plant starts for back-
yard gardens. The markets
just get better and better as
the season goes on, and it’s
fun to see friends and
neighbors as we’re all out
enjoying the day.
—
In a perfect world, the
month of April would be all
things good — all the color-
ful daffodils and tulips and
hyacinths, the flowering
trees everywhere, and even
the occasional shower to
bring about even more
flowers in May. In the real
world, however, April is des-
ignated as National Child
Abuse Prevention month
and National Sexual Assault
Awareness month, some-
thing we’d rather not even
think about. There are arti-
cles and books and TV pro-
grams dealing with those is-
sues that affect more peo-
ple — especially children —
than we can imagine. What
we can do as individuals is
to be aware of things that
are going on around us —
with our families, neighbors
and people we see out and
about. Many programs are
available for people who
need help, some free or for
very little cost.
—
Most of us love animals
— and enjoy family pets
such as a dog (or two) or cat
(or two), and realize how
much we enjoy walks and
playing fetch, reading with
a warm cat in a lap, perhaps
watching pets and kids as
they play together. Some-
times people love animals
so much that they have
more than they are able to
care for, and good hearted
a c t i o n s b e c o m e ov e r -
whelming. Those cute little
kittens that nobody wants,
the sweet puppy that isn’t
cared for, and the next one
and the next one cause
more expense and respon-
sibility. There are profes-
sional organizations who
have the expertise and ex-
perience to better care for
animals in need.
LIBRARY CALENDAR
DALLAS
950 Main St.
503-623-2633
www.ci.dallas.or.us/library
• Thursday, April 6, 11:15 a.m. — Chil-
dren’s story time.
• Thursday, April 6, noon — Adult book
discussion: The Warmth of Other Suns.
• Thursday, April 6, 2:30 p.m. — Lego
building for children.
• Thursday, April 6, 7 p.m. — Author
visit: Tina Connolly.
• Friday, April 7, 3 p.m. — Friends of the
Dallas Public Library book sale (at Civic
Center).
• Saturday, April 8, 10 a.m. — Friends of
the Dallas Public Library book sale (at Civic
Center).
• Monday, April 10 — Food for Fines
starts today.
• Tuesday, April 11, 10:30 a.m. — Chil-
dren’s story time.
VOLUNTEER
OPPORTUNITIES
• Wednesday, April 12, 3:45 p.m. — TAB:
Teen Advisory Board
• Wednesday, April 12, 4:30 p.m. — Teen
Book Club, Pagemasters. “To Kill a Mock-
ingbird”
—
INDEPENDENCE
175 Monmouth St.
503-838-1811
www.ci.independence.or.us/library
• Wednesday, April 5, 10:30 a.m. —
Story time.
• Wednesday, April 5, 1 p.m. — Scrabble
with Betty.
• Thursday, April 6, 4:30 p.m. — Chess
Club.
• Friday, April 7, 4 p.m. — Japanese Folk-
lore.
• Saturday, April 8, 3:30 p.m. — Cuentos
en Español.
• Monday, April 10, 7 p.m. — Author
visit: Steve Arndt.
• Tuesday, April 11, 2 p.m. — Tiny Tots.
• Wednesday, April 12, 10:30 a.m. —
Story time.
—
MONMOUTH
168 S. Ecols St.
503-751-0182
www.ci.monmouth.or.us/library
• Thursday, April 6, 10:15 a.m. — Pre-
school Explorers.
• Saturday, April 8 — Volunteer recogni-
tion.
• Tuesday, April 11, 10:15 a.m. — Tales
for Tots.
—
WAGNER COMMUNITY LIBRARY
111 N. Main St., Falls City
503-787-3521, ext. 319
www.facebook.com/
WagnerCommunityLibrary/timeline
• See the library’s Facebook page for up-
coming events.
We’re on a hunt
for local Easter
Egg Hunt
events!
Send us an email with information
about the event to: ionews@polkio.com
by 4pm on Thursday, April 6th.
147 SE Court St., Dallas
503-623-2373 • www.polkio.com
You’re the
Difference
• Reduce
• Reuse
• Recycle
• AARP Foundation Tax-Aide – 503-930-7636
• After DARC — 503-623-9501
• Arc of Polk County — 541-223-3261
• Central School District — 503-838-0030
• City of Dallas — 503-831-3502
• City of Independence — 503-838-1212
• City of Monmouth — 503-751-0145
• Crime Victims Assistance Program — 503-623-9268
• Dallas Area Chamber of Commerce — 503-623-2564
• Dallas Fire Department — 503-831-3532
• Dallas Food Bank — 503-623-3578
• Dallas Kids, Inc. — 503-623-6419
• Dallas Police Department — 503-831-3582
• Dallas Public Library — 503-623-2633
• Dallas Retirement Village — 503-623-5581
• Dallas School District — 503-623-5594
• Delbert Hunter Arboretum — 503-623-7359
• Girl Scouts of Southwest Washington and Oregon
— 1-800-338-5248
• Ella Curran Food Bank — 503-917-1681
• Falls City Arts Center — 503-559-6291
• Falls City School District — 503-787-3531
• Family Building Blocks – 503-566-2132, ext. 308.
• Friends of the Dallas Library — 503-559-3830
• H-2-O — 503-831-4736
HART (Horses Adaptive Riding and Therapy)
— 971-301-4278
• HandsOn Mid-Willamette Valley — 503-363-1651
• Heron Pointe Assisted Living — 503-838-6850
• Independence Health and Rehabilitation
— 503-838-0001
• Independence Public Library — 503-838-1811
• Kings Valley Charter School — 541-929-2134
• Luckiamute Watershed Council — 503-837-0237
• Luckiamute Valley Charter School – 503-623-4837
• Meals on Wheels — 503-838-2084
• Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce
— 503-838-4268
• Monmouth-Independence YMCA — 503-838-4042
• Monmouth Public Library — 503-838-1932
• Northwest Human Services — 503-588-5828
• Oregon Child Development Coalition — 503-838-2745
• OSU Extension Service - Polk County — 503-623-8395
• Perrydale School District — 503-623-2040
• Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of
Polk County Inc. — 503-623-8473
• Polk Community Development Corporation
— 503-831-3173
• Polk County Community Emergency Response Team
— 503-623-9396
• Polk County Museum — 503-623-6251
• Polk County Public Health — 503-623-8175
• Polk County Resource Center — 503-623-8429
• Polk Soil and Water Conservation District
— 503-623-9680
• Relief Nursery Classroom — 503-566-2132
• Rickreall Watershed Council — 503-623-9680
• SABLE House — 503-623-6703
• SALT (Senior and law enforcement together)
— 503-851-9366
• Salvation Army — 503-798-4783
• SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) — 503-391-8423
• Salem Health West Valley Hospital — 503-623-8301
• Victim Assistance Program-Polk Co. District Attorney’s
Office 503-623-9268 x1444
• Willamette Valley Hospice — 503-588-3600
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Continued from page 8A
—
TUESDAY, APRIL 11
• Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) Club — 6 to 7 p.m.
weigh-in, 7 to 8 p.m. meeting, First Christian Church basement,
1079 SE Jefferson St., Dallas. Meetings offer programs and activ-
ities aimed at losing weight. Open to anyone. First meeting is
free.
• Overeaters Anonymous — Noon to 1 p.m., Salem Health
West Valley, 525 SE Washington St., Dallas. Support group
meets in the quiet room/chapel immediately inside the emer-
gency entrance on Clay Street. Dee Ann White, 971-718-6444.
—
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12
• Helping Hands Emergency Food Bank — 10 a.m. to noon,
Monmouth Christian Church, 959 Church St. W., Monmouth.
For eligible community members; available every Wednesday.
541-404-6517.
• Polk County Republican Women — 11:30 a.m., Murphy’s
Restaurant, 288 E. Ellendale Ave., Dallas. No-host lunch avail-
able; everyone welcome. 503-623-5759.
• Respite care — 1 to 3 p.m., 182 SW Academy St., Suite 216,
Dallas. Free child care for parents who need time to run er-
rands, pay bills, etc. Free. Open for children ages 6 weeks to 5
years. 503-877-8473 to reserve space. Diapers are provided.
• Willamette Valley Food Assistance Program Food Bank
— 1:30 to 6:30 p.m., 888 Monmouth Cutoff Road, Building E,
Dallas. Weekly distribution for eligible community members.
503-831-5634.
• Free Blood Pressure Check Clinic — 2 to 3 p.m., Salem
Health West Valley (surgery admitting area), 525 SE Washington
St., Dallas. 503-623-7323.
• Monmouth Senior Center Music Jam — 6:30 p.m., Mon-
mouth Senior Center, 180 S. Warren St., Monmouth. Open to
the public; musicians of all types welcome. 503-838-5678.
• Dallas American Legion Post No. 20 — 7 p.m., Academy
Building, Room 108, 182 SW Academy St., Dallas. 503-831-3971.
West Valley Housing Authority will hold a Special
Board Meeting on Thursday, April 6, 2017
beginning at 2:00 p.m. at 204 SW Walnut in
Dallas, Oregon via conference call with regular
attendees. An Executive Session pursuant to
ORS 192.660 will be held immediately following
the Regular Meeting.
Agenda for the meeting is posted on the Housing
Authority website at www.wvpha.org. The location
for the meeting is handicapped accessible. Please
advise the West Valley Housing Authority if you
need any special accommodations to attend the
meeting. For information, please call 503-623-8387,
TDD 1-800-735-2900.
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