13th Annual Birdhouse Competition

Sponsored by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Wake Audubon Society, Pennington Seed, the North Carolina Bluebird Society, and the JC Raulston Arboretum

  • Friday, April 5, 2013 – 10:00 am–6:00 pm – Entries Accepted
  • Saturday, April 6, 2013 – 10:00 am–5:00 pm – Show
  • Sunday, April 7, 2013 – 12:00 pm–5:00 pm – Show

Imaginations Run Wild—Birds Take Flight

It's that time of year again! The Birdhouse Competition returns to the JC Raulston Arboretum with events scheduled April 6 through April 7. If making birdhouses is not your thing, then looking at them should be. The creations range from barrels of laughs to studies in craftsmanship and beauty. Pack up the whole brood and join the fun.

Schedule of Events

April 5, 2013 (Friday)

10:00 AM–6:00 PM – Registration of entries. No birdhouse entries accepted after 6:00 PM.

4:00 PM–7:00 PM – JCRA Plant Sale (Members Only Preview)

6:30 PM–9:00 PM – Judging

April 6, 2013 (Saturday)

9:00 AM–3:00 PM – JCRA Plant Sale

10:00 AM–3:00 PM – Raulston Blooms! – A New Garden Festival for the Whole Family

10:00 AM–5:00 PM – Entries on display.

2:00 PM–3:00 PM – Guided tour of the JCRA gardens and collections.

April 7, 2013 (Sunday)

12:00 PM–5:00 PM – Entries on display.

5:00 PM–6:00 PM – Entries may be picked up. No entries allowed to leave prior to 5:00 PM.

April 8, 2013 (Monday)

Entries may be picked up between 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM on Monday. Entries not removed by 6:00 PM will become the property of the JCRA.

Birdhouse Competition Details

Open to adults and children. If you love the natural world and unique garden art, get out your sketch pad, paints, and tool box. The competition is a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness about bird habitats, while expressing your own creativity.

Categories

Adult (Ages 16 and above)

  • Serious
  • Flight of Fancy

Children

  • Ages 4–6
  • Ages 7–9
  • Ages 10–12
  • Ages 13–15

Judges

Joe Bradshaw, Woodworker
Claudia Czap, Kinderart Teacher, Cary Arts Center
Cary Heise, Social Butterflies
Anna Laurel, Anchor, ABC11 Eyewitness News
Susan Woodson, Artist, Roundabout Art Collective

Visitors' Choice Awards

All guests are invited to judge the birdhouses on Saturday and Sunday. Use your pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and bills in any denomination to vote for your favorite birdhouses. There's no limit. Vote for as many as you wish. Each 1¢ is worth one vote. Winners of the Visitor's Choice Awards will be announced on April 16.

Competition Guidelines

Serious

Entries will be judged on:

  • Craftsmanship
    • Functionality for humans and birds
  • Mountability, ability to be raised or lowered, type of material, ability to be cleaned out, hole, roof, chamber (hole diameter, depth)
  • Aesthetics

Note: Birdhouses entered into the Serious category can best be described as working birdhouses. They will be judged using the criteria listed above in the order they are listed.

Flight of Fancy

Entries will be judged on:

  • Aesthetics
  • Imaginative theme or concept and exceptional use of form, texture, and/or color, composition, and execution
  • Craftsmanship
  • Functionality for birds (hole, roof, chamber, etc.)

Note: Birdhouses entered into the Flights of Fancy category can best be described as decorator birdhouses. They will be judged using the criteria listed above in the order they are listed.

Please note the order in which the judging criteria are listed. These are listed in the order of importance for each category.

Children (Ages 4–15)

Entries will be judged on:

  • Aesthetics
  • Imaginative theme or concept; use of form, texture and/or color
  • Craftsmanship
  • Functionality for birds (hole, roof, chamber, etc.)

All entries should be portable.

Most entries should be able to stand alone when placed upon a display table. If they cannot stand on their own, please bring a stand to help display the birdhouse. Large birdhouses should be equipped with their own stand that can support the birdhouse in an upright position on a floor. As much as possible, children's entries should be prepared by the entrant.

Prizes

Various prizes provided by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and Pennington Seed.

Wake Audubon Informational Booth

April 6, 2013 – 10:00 AM–5:00 PM
April 7, 2013 – 12:00 PM–5:00 PM

Join Wake Audubon, winners of the 2007 Governor's Award for Conservation Organization of the Year, at their information booth. They'll have activities for children and T-shirts and bluebird houses for sale.

North Carolina Bluebird Society Informational Booth

April 6, 2013 – 10:00 AM–4:00 PM
April 7, 2013 – 1:00 PM–4:00 PM

Bill Satterwhite, JCRA volunteer and long-time member of the North Carolina Bluebird Society, and other society members will present a film on bluebirds and share information about the birds. Bill maintains a trail of approximately 65–70 bluebird houses in Raleigh including the bluebird houses at the JCRA. He was one of the 2003 recipients of the Annual Bluebird Conservation Award. A video showing bluebird houses, nests being built, birds hatching, etc. will be shown.

Guided Arboretum Tour

April 7, 2013 (Sunday) – 2:00 PM–3:00 PM

We invite you to join us for free guided tours through the Arboretum. Learn about the Arboretum's history, plants, and more.

Cost
Free.
Registration
Advance registration is not available to attend any of this event. If you are planning on entering a birdhouse in the show, please fill out an entry form (adults and children (removed)) prior to dropping off your birdhouse. Please fill out the form completely. Both sections in the individual forms are needed.
Location
Ruby C. McSwain Education Center at the JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University, 4415 Beryl Road, Raleigh, North Carolina. Tours begin at the entrance to the Ruby C. McSwain Education Center at the JC Raulston Arboretum.
Directions
Need directions? Click here.
Parking
Free parking is available at the JC Raulston Arboretum and along Beryl Road.
Questions
Please call (919) 513-7005 for more information about this event.