Hans et al,
You will need to design or modify so that the introduced Eurasian species
Passer domesticus, the (in N.Y. City) too-familiar "House Sparrow" is not the
sole species taking up residence in your bird houses, which is likely unless
the houses are constructed so as to specifically exclude them. They may be on
the decline in parts of their native range in the "old world" but here in the
"new" they are a major pest and do interfere with native N. American species in
many areas - by being much more aggressive (here in America) & for other
ecological reasons. I suspect you will be getting more input from others on
this subject. It would be nice if species such as Barn Swallows can be
attracted to nest by the Gowanus canal. To have Purple Martins nest would be a
triumph, & to get nesting bluebirds there would be a near-miracle! (Even though
the latter can, & have nested, in N.Y.C. albeit in much greener surroundings.
Purple Martin is a decidedly rare NYC nester.)
The nest houses would need to be checked periodically through all 4 seasons (!)
to see if House Sparrows are in them, then decide if you simply want to let
them be, or actively prevent them from nesting in your houses, & there are
typically European Starlings in & around many Purple Martin nest colonies in
the NYC area.
Good luck,
Tom Fiore,
Manhattan
>>
<<
On Aug 5, 2009, at 9:59 AM, hans hesselein wrote:
From: hans.hessel...@googlemail.com
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Brooklyn - Gowanus Nest Colony
Date: August 5, 2009 9:59:24 AM EDT
To: NYSbirds-L@cornell.edu
Reply-To: hans.hessel...@googlemail.com
All,
I am involved in an informal birdhouse installation project along the
Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. The project is both an art installation as well as
a habitat development initiative. We have been attempting to enhance wildlife
habitat along the Canal with beautiful birdhouses that will be attractive to
both the people living in the neighborhood as well as cavity nesting birds that
might live in the region. We are a group of designers with extremely limited
knowledge of the local bird populations, and so we would like to work with some
interested local bird enthusiasts to help make this project more interesting
and effective.
We recently teamed up with the Gowanus Canal Conservancy and plan to
jointly host a public workshop to assemble and install 30 birdhouses along the
canal in 2 work sessions - 1 in August and 1 in September. If anyone is
interested in helping out in any capacity, please send me an e-mail. We really
need assistance with the following tasks:
Identifying local cavity-nesting bird populations to design houses for
Identify design criteria for each bird population and design
appropriate houses
Site the houses in the most appropriate locations along the Gowanus
Canal
Develop interpretive signage that describes local birds and the project
I look forward to hearing back from anyone interested in creating more
spaces for birds to live in New York City. If you are interested in seeing our
previous work, please visit the following website:
http://www.thiscityismine.com/gowanus/ Thank you for your time.
Regards,
Hans
--
hans hesselein, LEED AP
255 18th st. # 204
brooklyn, new york 11215
p 609 954 3988
hans.hessel...@gmail.com
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