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 18, 2005 – 7:30 am–9:00 pm – Entries Accepted
  • Saturday, March 19, 2005 – 10:00 am–5:00 pm – Show
  • Sunday, March 20, 2005 – 12:00 pm–5:00 pm – Show

Schedule of Events

March 18, 2005 (Friday)

7:30 AM PM-7:00 PM – Registration of entries. No bird house entries will be accepted after 7:00 PM.

7:30 PM – Lecture – "Landscaping for Wildlife with Native Plants" by Chris Moorman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Extension Wildlife Specialist at NC State University

March 19, 2005 (Saturday)

8:00 AM-10:00 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.

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

10:00 AM – Tours of the JCRA highlighting plants that attract birds.

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

March 20, 2005 (Sunday)

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

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

5:00 PM-6:00 PM – Entries may be picked up.

March 21, 2005 (Monday)

Entries may be picked up between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM on Monday. Entries not removed by 6:00 PM will become the property of the JCRA.

Birdhouse Competition Specifics

Categories

  • Adult (Ages 13 and above)
    • Professional
    • 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

  • 1st – $100.00 and 10# bag of premium bird seed for all first place winners (children and adult categories) and JCRA T-shirt (adult categories)
  • 2nd – $50.00, suet block, and feeder for all second place winners
  • 3rd – suet block for all third place winners

Judges

John Dole, NCSU – adult category
Pat Lindsay, NCSU – adult category
Anne Spafford, NCSU – adult category
David Trueblood, Wake County Public School System – children's category
Greg Giles, Wake County Public School System – children's category
Gig Harris, Wake County Public School System – children's category

Competition Guidelines

Professoinal (for those making and selling bird houses as a hobby or for a living)

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

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 and exceptional use of form, texture, and/or color, composition, and execution
  • Craftsmanship
  • Functionality (for birds)
  • Hole, roof, chamber

Children (Ages 4-12)

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 alone when placed upon a display table. As much as possible, children's entries should be prepared by the entrant.

Friends of the Arboretum Lecture Specifics

"Landscaping for Wildlife with Native Plants"

Speaker Chris Moorman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Extension Wildlife Specialist at NC State University

As the number of people living in North Carolina skyrockets, backyards comprise an increasing percentage of potential bird habitat. Improperly planned and managed backyards can be harmful to wildlife. Conversely, well-managed urban settings provide valuable space for many wildlife species, especially birds. Chris Moorman will discuss the secrets of making your backyard into an oasis for birds and other wildlife. He will explore the year round needs of birds and how native plants, bird feeders, and nest boxes can be integrated to create the perfect blend of habitat for bluebirds, warblers, chickadees, wrens, orioles, tanagers, vireos, buntings and other species. Chris will emphasize the use of native plants during landscaping, proper feeder design and food selection, and correct nest box design and placement.

Chris Moorman works with professionals and private landowners interested in the effects of land management practices on wildlife. Recently, Chris began working more with urban landowners, landscape architects, and gardeners to advise them on ways to manage and landscape their backyards to attract birds and other wildlife. He teaches Urban Wildlife Management at NC State and published a three-part extension publication series on backyard and urban wildlife management in 2002. Chris currently is advising students conducting research on the value of suburban greenways as bird and salamander habitat. In the past, Chris has researched several bird species, including hooded warblers, savannah sparrows, red-shouldered hawks, and red-tailed hawks.

Tour Specifics

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

Bluebird Film and Informational Seminars

March 19, 2005 – 10:00 AM-5:00 PM
March 20, 2005 – 12:00 PM-5:00 PM

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. Video showing bluebird houses, nests being built, birds hatching, etc. will be shown.

Pennington Seed, Inc. and Audubon Society Informational Display Tables

March 19, 2005 – 10:00 AM-5:00 PM
March 20, 2005 – 12:00 PM-5:00 PM

Cost
Free.
Registration
Advance registration is not available.
Location
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.