Warren County Farmer Displays Knack For Building Birdhouses

Frank Newell farms in Warren County, but he believes he was hand-picked for another mission.

"One day, I was sitting on the front porch and there was a dogwood tree there and a bluebird sat right beside me and looked at me and, I declare, he was telling me to build him a bluebird house," he says.

Newell has been building birdhouses since he was a young child. His first project was caring for a litter of orphaned rabbits. That mission turned into a lifetime of healing and releasing native wildlife.

With the help of volunteers, he puts out more than 600 birdhouses a month. The birdhouses sell for less than $10 each. When properly placed and maintained, each house can hold as many as 12 chicks a year.

For more information on bluebird houses, you can write to:Newell Farms Wildlife CenterRoute 4, Box 709Warrenton, North Carolina 27589