FOR THE BIRDS
... and the people too!
Ava Richards, Northern Cardinal, digital image, 2019
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Purple Martin House
Grace, Rebekkah, Rachel, Gabe and Alex
Purple Martin
Scientific name: Progne subis
Purple Martins have dark blue/ black glossy feathers, and females have a tan stomach. Purple Martins are declining in our area because of invasive species like Eastern Starlings. Purple Martins prefer to nest in open fields away from trees and close to lakes. They nest in bird houses and sometimes holes in buildings or plants.
Architecture style
This design was based off the Tudor Revival style in the early to mid 1900's. Some of the main features of the style are: asymmetrical slanted roofs, stucco and brick, wood details, and focus on windows in front. As a part of the birdhouse design, it has the asymmetrical roof of the style, with the roof having two different parts that angle in opposite directions while coming together at a T. Also including was the wood details. However, the details were engraved with the laser cutter instead of being separate pieces as in the Tudor Revival style.
The Design Process
To begin, each of us designed a possible birdhouse for different birds. We created a proposal for each birdhouse that show cases what the house looks like and facts about the bird it was designed for. Then we decided which one would be the most possible to make. After that, we created a prototype out of paper board. By doing this, we work out the problems of the house and figure out how exactly it would fit together and how the pieces would look. Our birdhouse has many different parts, and creating the prototype let us envision the house much better. The next step in the project is to use the knowledge gained from the prototype to CAD the birdhouse and prepare it for laser cutting.
The Birdhouse
This birdhouse is a large apartment-like structure with many rooms, designed to suit the Purple Martin’s nesting habit. The house should be checked every four to five days for maintenance. Pick out any trash, anything that is unnatural, then carefully remove it from the nest. When cleaning the birdhouse, make sure it’s done during the day while it is still light outside when the birds are flying around. It is helpful to keep track of what’s found in the nest every time it’s checked. This is will help increase awareness of what is going on in the nest. When/if the birds lay eggs, write down the differences in the nest every four or five days. When the birds bring in green leaves Be sure to keep a watch out for fleas. It is recommended that pole guards, also known as predator baffles, are installed on the pole where the birdhouse sits to stop predators from climbing the pole.
10 Wilmington Place
10 Wilmington Place is a retirement home in the Dayton area. The facility makes it so the people there feel loved, comfortable, and welcome. They have a lot of open areas to fit the bird’s needs. They have a few gardens spaces around the building and have plenty of wildlife to help the birds feel welcome. By having the birds in this area, it will bring some peace to the people living in the home.
