3 Easy, Fun Birdhouse Weekend Projects

 There is nothing more beautiful than the harmonious sound of birds singing in your garden. To encourage birds to habitat your garden and to come back year after year you will need to provide wild birds with a suitable nest so they can fill your yard with beauty and song.

Are you ready for a weekend project? Then spread your wings and fly.   Below you will find  design instructions for 3 varieties of birdhouse.

These designs are simple, easy and fun to do on a weekend. http://allcrafts.net/woodworking/birdhouses.htm

 General Birdhouse (tree swallow or bluebird)

Hammer

• 1/2" (1.25 cm) finishing nails
• Waterproof glue
• Sandpaper
• Drill with 1-3/8" (4.1 cm) hole saw and 1/4" (.63 cm) drill bit
• 1/2" (1.25 cm) plywood in sizes shown in Figure 1, for two bottom sides and two inside supports
• 1/4" plywood for two roof sections, each 7" (17.5 cm) x 5" (13 cm)
• 1/4" (.63 cm) plywood for the front and back sections, each 5-7/8" (15 cm) square
• 5" (12.5 cm) length of dowel to finish the top
• 7/8" or smaller Brass Cup Hook or Eye
• 3" (7.6 cm) length of dowel for bird perch (optional)
• Bird-safe paint or stain (optional)
• Goggles

 

 

 Gourd House

• 
  
  
  
   Dried, cured gourd
• Drill
• Appropriately sized drill bit for entrance
• 1/8-inch to 3/8-inch (3-mm to 10-mm) drill bit for hanging and ventilation holes
• Hanging cord (ex. string, leather, wire)
• Fine-grit sand paper (optional)
• Weatherproof paint (optional)
• Water-resistant finish (ex. polyurethane, varnish, Eco-friendly wax)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miscellaneous Wooden Houses

.1

 For wrens it may be placed on a tree or fence post. If attached near the eaves of a building, house finches or wrens will use it.

The front gable is open, entrance to the room below being through the rear of the upper floor. This house can be opened for cleaning by lifting out the upper floor. Lumber should be 3/4 inch.









If building a wooden box, look for untreated cedar fence boards at your local hardware store; cedar is cheap, weather-resistant, bug-repellent, and ages well. This will save you a bundle.

• Most birds prefer the colors, textures, and shapes that they find in nature, which is why rough, unpainted, asymmetrical gourd houses are such a great way to invite them to live in your yard. Gourd houses are also excellent insulators in both hot and cold weather.
• Never put food in a birdhouse. It's a nursery, not a kitchen. Food attracts predators and insects! In fact, nest boxes and bird feeders should be placed far away from each other. Bird feeders are great fun, and will attract a variety of birds, but place them in a different part of the yard.
• While it's a good idea to make the roof watertight, it's important to drill some small holes in the bottom of the box for drainage, so any rainwater that does get in can drain away. Also, air circulation helps keeps insect populations down.
• Add several inches of untreated wood chips or shavings to the bottoms of chickadee and woodpecker houses to encourage nesting.

 

Birding Tips

·        Tree swallows prefer an interior space that measures 5x5 in (13x13 cm) wide and 7 in (18 cm) high.

·        Wrens prefer an interior space that measures 4x4 in (10x10 cm) wide and 7 in (18cm) high.

·        Chickadees and downy woodpeckers prefer an interior space that measures 4x4 in (10x10 cm) wide and 9 in (23 cm) high.

·        House finches prefer an interior space that measures 5x5 in (13x13 cm) wide and 8 in (20 cm) high.

·        Put the birdhouse in a hard-to-reach location if you have any cats or know that cats come into your garden. It is safe to just presume that you should keep the house up high to discourage all predators. Snakes are especially a dangerous predator.

·        Birds tend to look for specific features when finding places to nest. If you build a birdhouse whose interior dimensions, entrance size and height, and distance from the ground don’t accommodate a particular bird, it will very likely remain empty.

·        Never paint or stain the inside of the birdhouse.

·        Don’t use treated lumber, which often contains many dangerous chemical compounds like arsenic that could poison the birdhouse's inhabitants.

·        Don't use super glue.

 

 

 Tags:Birds, birdhouse, birdhouses, wren, swallow, tree, sparrow, bluebird, garden, Cottage garden, plants