Building a birdhouse to attract birds

Filed Under: Crafts, DIY Outdoor, Do it yourself, Gardens    by: ITC

Building a birdhouse in your area for the wild birds helps replace part of the natural habitat lost due to the environmental problems caused by development around most industrial cities, where pollution has reached alarming proportions. People that love the companionship of birds will also find this activity fun and rewarding. While constructing a birdhouse can be as simple as four walls, a roof and a floor, there are many things you would need to consider.

These things come down to size, materials, holes and placement. Wood should be regarded as the best building material (pin, cedar and fir), with aluminum coming close. No other metals are a good option since they would become extremely hot when exposed to the sun. Birdhouses can be made from a mixture of concrete and wood called “woodcrete.” Blue Tits, Great Tits and Tree Sparrows prefer these woodcrete bird houses. Birds nesting in these houses have a shorter incubation period and higher rate of reproductive success, possibly because these synthetic nests were warmer than the wooden bird houses.

The size of the bird house and that of the entrance hole should be related to the types of birds you would want to attract. Entrance holes should be near the top of the box and according to the size of the bird which will use the house. The hole dimension is a critical part in birdhouse building, because if it’s too small the bird species you chose to build the house for will not be able to get inside it. If it’s too large it would allow bigger, more aggressive birds to nest in it. Bird houses should have the interior walls roughened or have ladders to help the young birds in climbing to the opening.

Make it easier to clean after the nesting season by leaving one side of the birdhouse open. The roof is best to be slanted with an overhang of five to six inches, keeping predators from getting inside the birdhouse. It also protects the birds from driving rain. A good option would be to place the birdhouses at locations inaccessible to natural predators. You can make some adjustments to the birdhouses called “predator guards,” which would make it more difficult for a predator to reach inside of the nest. One such adjustment would be a simple additional piece of wood at the entrance hole adding “depth,” and making it harder for a predator to reach inside.

Birdhouses should be placed within 1/4 an acre, because some birds insist on territorial rights, and you could end up with empty birdhouses if they are built too close. Another thing to keep in mind is to paint the birdhouses in natural colors to attract more birds. Especially avoid dark paint as it absorbs heat.

Building a birdhouse is rewarding when you can sit and watch, as birds fill their newly made homes. Just remember to keep the birds’ lives in perspective when building their homes.

The benefits of birdhouses in your garden

Filed Under: Crafts, DIY Outdoor, Do it yourself, Gardens    by: ITC

Creating a small sanctuary for birds in your back garden, can help to bring nature just a little bit closer to home. Sitting in the garden and watching the feathered friends visit your bird house can be soothing, but also rewarding as you can feel secure in the knowledge that you will be providing them with elements they need to survive.

Birds are very fragile creatures by nature, and they need to find shelter from the weather, food and water, somewhere safe and comfortable, to nest and raise their families. By erecting a birdhouse in the garden, you will be able to provide them with all their requirements.

A little forward planning before buying a birdhouse is preferable. There are considerations over size to ponder, for example, you don’t want the resulting house to look overbearing in a small space. Alternately, too small a birdhouse can get lost in a yawning back yard. Whether you tree-mount the birdhouse or have a free standing one, will dictate your choice.

Birdhouses are important for the birds and can become a little safe haven for them. Attention should be paid to which type of birds you want attracted to your garden. It may help to be aware of the particular types of birds that are native and common to your area, and target those. The type of feed that you put out on the table will be the attracting factor. It is possible to attract migratory birds which may pass overhead, but if you put out seed in the hope of attracting an exotic bird which is not native to your area, then your birdhouse could be left largely abandoned.

The pinnacle of sitting in the garden and watching birds visit, is seeing them occupy a birdhouse which you have constructed and designed yourself. There are several benefits to doing this over buying one. Not only will it unleash your creativity, but you can fine tune the designs to suit the birds, and how the building appears aesthetically in your garden.

A birdhouse of your own design can complement your own home, and even building a miniature replica of your abode to go that extra mile. Building a pitched roof with a good overhang will provide important shelter from the elements birds need. Fine tuning the garden around the house with favorable and familiar bushes, trees and shrubs will help with their nesting needs.

Watching the comings and goings of birds is more than just a relaxing distraction. Listening to their song and observing their habits, bird watching is something that can be enjoyed with the family, passing knowledge onto children. Time spent this way cannot only be calming, but can be therapeutic as a stress reliever too.

How to build homemade birdhouses

Filed Under: Crafts, DIY Outdoor, Do it yourself, Gardens    by: ITC

Building homemade birdhouses are easy once you know how many things just lying aimlessly around the house can be used to house a whole family of feathered friends. Things like plastic gallon-sized milk cartons. How many of these do we throw away in a week? When you take a look around you can find many things that can aide you in constructing a homemade birdhouse or adorning one.

The environment will also thank you for your endeavor in helping to keep unwanted items out of the landfills that are thrown away everyday. If more people would get on this bandwagon, we could eliminate a good chunk of trash and do our part in recycling as well as taking care of nature in the process. Homemade birdhouses can increase the abundance of wildlife in your very own community starting with your own yard.

Birdhouses allow for the possibility for many different and rare birds to nest and migrate to areas where before there wasn’t any or at least very little. Even people in booming cities can bring birds into the city more if they will put up birdhouses. Birdhouses are not exclusively for the country or more rural parts of an area by no means.

Homemade birdhouses are great to make anytime of the year but, will see it’s greatest use in the spring time when many birds are nesting to prepare for little ones that will arrive at the start of the warm season. You will also find that many birds will count on you to provide housing for them and will return every spring to nest and make a home for their young year after year.

Almost anyone can acquire nails, wood glue and a few pieces of wood to get the job done if you are wanting to go the more wood stable homemade route. You can find a whole world of birdhouse plans online to construct your very own birdhouse. You can keep it simple or go more extreme and construct a bird condo of sorts and you can even add a box on the side of the house built exclusively for holding nesting materials. Pretty neat, huh?

One will find that birds appreciate any efforts you make and will feel quite comfy in their new homemade birdhouse, no matter how you go about it. You may even find that you get so good at it, you may be able to profit from the homemade birdhouses that you make. So many people like to purchase things that are homemade, simply because it has more meaning and has been constructed and crafted with homemade loving care. Plus, homemade birdhouse can be one of kind and will allow you to use your imagination to add whimsy to an otherwise boring wood box.

About Us | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Site Map
©2004-2011 Indy Total Construction