Bob Orthwein lived in upper Arlington, OH. He was a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan. For his “real job,” he was an underwriter for Nationwide. His friend Dick Tuttle indicates that he had been bluebirding since the age of 12. He was an active member of the Ohio Bluebird Society. The only time when he didn’t monitor his nestboxes was when he was in the Army in Japan. Orthwein passed away in 1999 at the age of 69. Tuttle is working on a book about bluebirding that will include information on Orthwein.
Orthwein came up with the clever concept of a wren guard, one of the more effective methods to deal with the challenge of deterring. House Wrens. He also experimented with raised roof boxes and clustering boxes to deal with House Sparrows.
Darlene Sillick indicated he designed a box for Carolina Wrens that can be mounted on an overhang or the corner of a porch. It was sold by Wild Birds Unlimited in Columbus and Westerville, Ohio.
More Information:
- Deterring House Wrens (Sialis.org)
- Report from Othwein (AOS formerly at http://www.audubon-omaha.org/bbbox/ban/wrengurd.htm)
- Controlling House Sparrows (Sialis.org)
- All About Carolina Wrens
- Bluebirding Giants
– Bob Orthwein
