Feeders and birdhouses are successfully used to attract birds to the site; with their help, you don’t have to worry about the safety of the future harvest. Almost all types of birds live in such houses. In cold weather they eat wintering caterpillars, and in summer they eat pest larvae.
You can make a birdhouse with your own hands without spending money out of your pocket. After all, it is not necessary to buy new building materials; it is enough to use your imagination using improvised means.
Everyday materials
One of the simplest options is a birdhouse out of a box. To make it, a juice box is used, it is thoroughly washed and dried. The advantages of this solution are considered to be: cost-effectiveness, original appearance and ease of execution. Materials you will need:
- clean box;
- thin wooden planks;
- acrylic paint;
- rope;
- glue.
It is worth preparing the following tools:
- scissors;
- brush.
Work begins with making a tap hole; it should have a diameter of 5-6 cm, and be located at an average height from the bottom of the box. A regular or stationery knife will help you cut the hole. Next, the birdhouse is coated with paint and left to dry.
You can use an ice cream stick to make a perch for the birds to sit on. It is glued to the base under the taphole.
The interior space in the birdhouse should also be comfortable for birds, so the front wall on the inside should be made rough. Therefore, a board made of untreated wood is fixed there; a piece of tree bark is also suitable. The outer walls are also covered with ice cream sticks - this will add aesthetics and allow the birds to cling to them with their paws.
To hang a birdhouse on a tree, make a hole at the top and pass a rope through. To attract birds, just sprinkle a little food, then a family of birds will definitely settle in the house.
You can use a large plastic container as the base of the birdhouse. When making a birdhouse from a bottle, the process will remain virtually unchanged, you just have to make drainage holes at the bottom.
Cardboard is a practical option
To accommodate the largest number of birds, it is worth making a birdhouse from cardboard - this is the most affordable material. The resulting house can serve as a decorative element of the garden or be used for its intended purpose. The execution process is very simple and does not take much time. During the work you will need:
- two A4 cardboard sheets;
- colored paper or paints;
- compass;
- scissors;
- rope;
- small stick.
As a blank, look at the drawing or make it according to simple recommendations.
The basis of the future design is a sheet glued into a roll; you can take the remainder of paper towels. Using a compass, draw a circle with a diameter of 4-5 cm on it and cut out a hole. Next, the bottom is covered with a circle of the appropriate size - the base of the birdhouse is ready. To attract attention, it can be decorated, covered with colored paper or painted.
Making the roof begins by cutting out a semicircle, then gluing the straight edge. A thin rope is glued to the top of the dome and connected to the base. All that remains is to glue the stick near the entrance and pour in the food. Such a feeder can receive guests for a long time or simply decorate the garden.
Wood - standard production
There is a traditional option for making a birdhouse from wood. In the process they use:
- boards (20 mm thick);
- nails;
- hacksaw;
- hammer;
- drill;
- pencil and ruler.
The wood materials chosen are unplaned boards with a thickness of at least 20 mm. This ensures heat retention inside the house. As for the species, birch or oak would be better; the smell of pine needles greatly repels birds. The use of pressed or laminated wood is undesirable - it is not a practical option and has a toxic odor.
After choosing the material, the dimensions of the structure are determined. Based on the parameters of the natural hollow (120x120 mm), it is worth making the bottom of the birdhouse 120x120 mm, the height should be 250-350 mm. These sizes allow you to accommodate a family with 5 chicks. With a larger number of offspring, adults cannot provide them with proper care. The size of the entrance is also taken into account; a hole of 40-50 mm is made for the starling, and 30 mm for the tit. The tap hole is placed at a height of 200 mm from the bottom level.
A perch is fixed in front of the entrance to the house, sometimes a small platform made of boards is installed instead. The roof can be gable or single-pitch, but it is worth considering one point - the board must protrude beyond the level of the facade by at least 50 mm. For the convenience of annual cleaning, the roof is made removable, then it is fixed with screws or wire. All dimensions of the elements can be seen in the drawings.
Before you make a birdhouse with your own hands, you should carefully consider the diagram, then cut the boards according to the parameters in the image. Process progress:
To make a good birdhouse from wood, you should follow the recommendations:
- To seal and retain heat inside the structure, all cracks should be coated with clay or sealed with tow;
- the surface of the wood should not have large burrs that could injure birds;
- you need to use short nails or screws so that they do not stick out;
- It is better to treat it with drying oil as a protective coating. But for decoration you can use gray or red oil paints.
Making your own bird house is not at all difficult; if you use your imagination, the result will become a real decoration of the garden. In the process of making a birdhouse from scrap materials, the most unpredictable base options can be used: pumpkin, stone, coffee pot, shoe.
House installation
In addition to manufacturing, the installation process of the birdhouse is important, so it is worth knowing the recommendations for its placement:
You can make a birdhouse at any time of the year, but it should hang on a tree in late March - early April. Then a family of birds will definitely settle in it.