Easy to Build Birdhouses

Birds will gladly accept even the most simply built homes.

Birds can find their own homes, using our garages, attics and eaves as places to build nests. However, this can quickly result in unwanted build-up of droppings. To get birds away from your home, give them their own by choosing a simple construction design, perfect for beginning bird-watchers or novice carpenters.

Significance

One of the easiest birdhouse designs can be constructed from recycled containers. Cleaned thoroughly and affixed with an opening, metal and plastic coffee cans provide easy-to-make and easy-to-clean birdhouses for birds of various sizes.

Materials

Nature even provides materials for simple birdhouse making. Hard-shelled members of the pumpkin family, gourds can be hollowed out and cleaned to make Earth-friendly homes for feathered-flyers.

Considerations

When it comes to building your own birdhouses, many new bird enthusiasts will likely find wooden houses intimidating. However, following safety precautions and basic instructions, amateur carpenters can quickly assemble a plain, wooden birdhouse.

References

• University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Gourd Birdhouses
• Mother Earth News: In Praise of the Basic Birdhouse
• "Birds & Blooms": Coffee-Can Birdhouse
• "Birds & Blooms": A Birdhouse for Beginners

Resources

• Oregon State University: It's Time to Put Up Bird Houses