Spring is here so I built a few birdhouses. Actually I built one new one and refurbished two others, all with scrap wood. Admittedly, they are not much to look at, but they meet all the latest recommended birdhouse dimensions and include all the latest recommended features. I’m not sure the birds care how the outside of their houses look. There are some interesting things to consider when building a birdhouse. For instance, the size of the entrance hole and height above the floor of the birdhouse is very important to appeal to the right species of bird. Also, the popular perch stick is just below the entrance hole is not needed, nor recommended. It provides a place for predators to sit and wait. Another feature to prevent hungry squirrels from chewing through the hole area is to reinforce the hole with a ¾” thick block of wood, making the entrance passage longer. All the specifications and suggestions you will need are on the internet. If you are interested, go to the following websites: http://www.wild-bird-watching.com/Building_Bird_Houses.html. or http://baltimorebirdclub.org/by/house.html
After I finished hanging the birdhouses on nearby trees, I got to thinking maybe birdhouses are an opportunity to get creative. As long as all the proper dimensions and features are included, and the birds don’t really care what the house looks like, why not carve something on the front. Perhaps a wood spirit or something humorous. Here’s a challenge: Design a clever birdhouse and send me a photo of it. I’ll publish the best ones on the blog.
3 comments:
Dave here - how about a Green Man + bird house conbo? kinda obvious I suppose. or maybe one that looks like one of those old fashioned phones with the conial mouthpiece you talk into. Though getting the hole height and other dimensions right might be tough...
I've been playing around with dimensions and nothing seems to come out right yet. The obvious idea is to make the entrace hole the mouth of the wood spirit or green man, but, for a chicadee house, for example, the entrance hole must be 6" to 8" off the floor. The carving gets out of proportion. It'll all work out, but it will take time.
Perhaps the leaves around the mouth can be more mustachio, like yosemite sam or something. Or perhaps the lower poart can be camoflauged with mathcing bark to the tree and then place the whole thing in a notch or something so the bark part is in the same plane as the natural bark of the tree.
Post a Comment