I think it all started at one of our monthly meetings way back in August 2001, Bob, Ken, Tim, myself and two volunteers, Barbara and Phil. We were accounting for the last month’s activity when Ken (Ken Shaw from Life Styles Glos.) said, looking at me with a grin on his face, "I have a request for a dovecote from Newnham". For the last five years I have made bird boxes, bird tables and nut feeders, but these were all small enough for me, in a wheelchair, to handle. Little did I know what lay ahead of me!
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First I tried to collect information on how the dovecote works, the size and how to build one. It took me six months of looking, on the Internet, bird books, in fact anything I could lay my hands on. Apart from pictures and companies that specialise in them, there is not a lot to be found with my limited capabilities, my only clue regarding plans to build a dovecote came from Gold Cockerel Books. Not wanting to copy one exactly because they are complicated structures if you’re a novice at this sort of thing, I decided to go for a two-storey cote. The lower storey being a communal area, and the second in four sections for pairing.
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Stage 4 |
Over the valley at my friends house Ian Blayney, (the very same person who taught me how to use most of my power tools), we were discussing owl boxes one day, when I said, "I’ve been asked to make a dovecote but don’t know where to start". Looking around Ian grabbed a big piece of cardboard and began drawing on it, an octagon structure with a cone on top. Next he cut a small shape out of plywood saying this is what you want - three with eight 10 inch sides and one with eight 12 inch sides - the cone for the roof would be the hardest part. "Once you’ve done the first the others will be easy" said Ian. "Right" I said.
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Stage 6 |
In the next few weeks Ian had made the cone, cut and planed some hardwood for the sides, bevelled the edges and collected a twelve foot oak pole so there was a good strong spine to support and stand the dovecote on. I not only had to design the dovecote, but to make sure every piece was marked and cut to size. I had to ensure all the bits were in the jigsaw so to speak.
Over the next few months I made enquiries as to who would cut out the octagon base, the middle and the top. I gave Ken a sample size as big as I could produce. This was much to small so Ken took it to Hales in Cinderford; they cut the wood perfectly, free of charge, because it was for a good cause. Things were looking good!
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Stage 7 |
Stage 8 |
Tim Fretter (Mentor for the BTFOD. FVAF and RSPB Birder) collected and delivered the wood next day. Now all that was left for me to do was to mark everything out and get things in order to enable it to be cut out and assembled. My brother David cut all the holes required, these were large and hard to get at. Dad and myself fitted all the inside parts which were to be included later. Martin Vaisey, (a friend and wildlife enthusiast), dropped in whilst walking his dog at 3p.m. one Saturday, just to have a look at the dovecote’s progress. By 8p.m. he had become so involved that he had built a display pole so that we could assemble everything erect in the workshop. Martin and Dad, using nearly every tool in the place, finished putting the dovecote together. We all preferred the natural colour of wood, but taking the experts advice, we painted it white to prevent the dove droppings showing.
SUCCESS AT LAST!!
This was a good project, an eye opener, and one that would be undertaken in a slightly different way if ever attempted again.
Thanks to everyone who contributed.
By Brian Thomas.