Ashbee Design: Tiny Stone Sculpture Solution

Friday, April 6, 2012

Tiny Stone Sculpture Solution

Today is a solutions day. That means I am working on projects that fix problems. Those are the items on the "To Do" list that drift to the bottom because they may not be particularly fun to do. The problem that migrated rapidly to the top of the list is the bird nest issue.

I love spring for all the same reasons everyone does, not the least of which is the birds and the bees. The birds are nesting and I love to witness the eggs hatching and the little birds leaving the nest - but I have learned. Although fascinating to watch, it is not a pretty sight when the nest is on top of your entry light! Every year the birds try to nest here and today, I decided to try and dissuade them - permanently! I built a tiny stone stack on top of the fixture!

Two days ago, a little bird decided to again try and make my light her home. The mud droppings started to appear on my stoop and a bird swooped out of the rafters every time we opened the door. Time for action!

There was a year that I did not knock the nest down, but allowed for the family to hatch. The constant stream of white bird droppings that plastered the wood siding made me see the error of being hospitable. As beautiful a sight as baby birds can be, they create an awful mess! Annually, I try to knock the nest down in the early stages of construction so Mama and Papa bird will find a better location. Nest removal becomes a daily chore because they really like the light option best. It has a nice roof already constructed! And they try to rebuild daily. This year, I decided to encourage them a little more forcably.

I lined up a group of the smooth ocean stones I collected from the shore, and mixed up some five minute epoxy.

I glued the rocks into a tiny stone stack and let it dry while I got out the ladder, cleaned off the top of the light fixture and washed the white eaves. Mud was splattered everywhere on the bright white underside. There have been years when we balanced a rock up there and that seemed to work, until someone slammed the door and the rock came down with a near miss.

I am not brave enough to epoxy this little zen stack up there yet. I used the solver of all problems - DUCT TAPE - and taped it up there. If, in fact this deters the birds from roosting here, then I will probably epoxy it right up on top.