News & Observer Birdhouse Competition at the JC Raulston Arboretum

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Sponsored by the News and Observer, Pennington Seed, and the JC Raulston Arboretum

  • Friday, March 26, 2004 – 5:00 pm–9:00 pm – Entries Accepted
  • Saturday, March 27, 2004 – 7:30 am–5:00 pm – Show
  • Sunday, March 28, 2004 – 12:00 pm–5:00 pm – Show

Schedule of Events

March 26, 2004 (Friday)

5:00 PM-7:00 PM
Registration of entries.

7:00 PM
Lecture – "Birds in the Southern Garden" by John Dole, Ph.D.

March 27, 2004 (Saturday)

7:30 AM-9:00 AM
Registration of entries.

9:00 AM-11:00 AM
Judging begins promptly and should take one to two hours to complete.
Winners will be announced upon completion of judging and in the News and Observer.

9:00 AM-2:00 PM
Bluebirds 101: Bill Satterwhite will show you how to make a home for bluebirds in your yard!

10:00 AM
Tour – "Feather Friendly Plants" – highlighting plants that attract birds.

11:00 AM-5:00 PM
Entries on display.

11:30 AM
Announcement of winners.

2:00 PM
Tours of the JCRA highlighting plants that attract birds.

March 28, 2004 (Sunday)

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

12:30 PM-2:00 PM
Bluebirds 101: Bill Satterwhite will show you how to make a home for bluebirds in your yard!

2:00 PM
Tour – "Feather Friendly Plants" – highlighting plants that attract birds.

5:00 PM
Entries may be picked up at 5:00 PM on Sunday or between 8:00 AM and 7:00 PM on Monday. Entries not removed promptly will become the property of the JCRA.

Birdhouse Competition Specifics

Categories

Adult (Ages 13 and above)
Serious
Flight of Fancy

Children
Ages 4-6
Ages 7-9
Ages 10-12
Children who enter will receive a gift bag from the News and Observer (while supplies last)

Prizes (in all five categories – to be announced)
1st
2nd
3rd

Judges
John Dole
Greg Giles
Pat Lindsay
Anne Spafford
David Trueblood
Tina Wilkinson

Competition Guidelines

Adult
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

Flight of Fancy – entries will be judged on:

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

Children (Ages 7-12) entries will be judged on:

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

All entries should be portable (by one person). All entries should be able to stand along when placed upon a display table. As much as possible, children's entries should be prepared by the entrant.

Lecture Specifics

Speaker
John Dole, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Horticultural Science, NC State University

Title
"Birds in the Southern Garden"

Lecture Description
Birds bring color, movement and life to our gardens year-round. In the spring bird songs fill the garden with music. In the summer we can see families of birds nesting in our bird houses and foraging around the yard. In the fall newly arrived migrants add to the local residents. In the winter bird feeders bring birds up close. Find out which plants to use to attract birds and which features of a garden will benefit birds the most. Learn to identify some of the favorite backyard birds and what you can do to bring them into your garden. Any garden can be a bird garden.

Speaker Biography
John Dole is a lifelong birder, butterflier, botanizer, and an avid gardener. He co-authored Butterflies of Kansas, Oklahoma, and North Texas with Walter Gerard and John Nelson and Floriculture Principles and Species with Harold Wilkins and is currently working on Cutting Propagation of Floral Crops to be available later in 2004. John received his B.S. degree from Michigan State University and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He conducts research on cut flowers, bedding plants, and poinsettias.

"Feather Friendly Plants" – Tour Specifics

Tour will highlight feather friendly plants. Tours will run for approximately 45 minutes and will be led by JCRA volunteers.

"Bluebirds 101" – Bluebird Demonstration and Information Session Specifics

Bill Satterwhite, JCRA volunteer and long-time member of the North Carolina Bluebird Society, 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.

Cost
Free.
Registration
Birdhouse entries must be submitted on Friday from 5:00 PM-7:00 PM or on Saturday from 7:30 AM-9:00 AM. Advance registration is not available for any part of this program.
Location
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) 515-3132 for more information about this event.