Thursday, July 30, 2015

Champ Hangin' Out With The Birds

Champ is taking some time out of the lake to check out the Bird House Forest. Located in the swamps just north of Whites Beach, near the roadside, are hundreds of brilliantly colored Bird Houses that hang from the many trees in the thick marshland. According to the owners of the birdhouses, "Well, as you can see, we're surrounded by swamp", he said, gesturing to the swamps surrounding his house. "So there are a lot of mosquitoes here, Or at least there were before we put these up. The bird houses are home to tree swallows, and tree swallows eat mosquitoes. They make it so my wife and I can sit outside on the lawn in the evening and enjoy ourselves. We don't get eaten alive." He started this project 15 years ago, with only 20 bird houses. His wife was the one who convinced him to paint them the striking bold colors. After a year, he went to check on them and found that each one was occupied. So he built more. Now he has over 400 of them. Asked if he was planning on building more. "We'll see", he said chuckling.