How to Make Bark Birdhouses
You can build a bark birdhouse with very little time and effort and for very little expense. All you need is a glue gun, some inexpensive materials and some birch bark, which you can buy from a florist or harvest yourself for free.
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Things You'll Need
- 32-oz. can
- 2 sheets birch bark
- Sharp kitchen shears
- 2 large rubber bands
- 2 clothespins
- Hot glue gun
- Awl or hole punch
- 24 very small twigs, 6 inches long
- 24-inch cord or twine
- Screwdriver
- 1 long, narrow grapevine (optional)
Instructions
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1
Lay the birch bark on a flat surface and use the can as a guide to trace two circles on the edge of one sheet of bark. Cut out the two circles. Soak the other sheet of bark in cool water and wrap it gently around the can, lining up the edge of the bark with the end of the can. Overlap the bark by 1 inch up the side of the can, and trim the damp bark with the shears to fit around the can. Trim to fit the top and bottom of the can.
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2
Fasten rubber bands around the top and bottom of the can, about 1 inch from the edge, to hold the bark snugly around the can. Let the bark dry for 24 hours, then slip the can out from the bark cylinder. Pull off the rubber bands, fasten the overlapped ends with the clothespins and use the hot glue gun to run a thin bead of glue along the edge of the overlapped bark.
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3
Place the bark cylinder on its side with the seam on top, and gently punch two 1/2-inch holes through the overlapped bark seam, 1 inch from the edges, for the top of the birdhouse. Use the hole punch to poke four small holes through the bark opposite the overlapped edge. This will provide drainage for the bottom of the birdhouse.
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4
Soak the twigs in cool water for a half hour. Weave the wet twigs into a lattice pattern to create a twig "platform" for the bottom of the birdhouse. Trim the dimensions to fit, shape the platform to fit in the bark birdhouse, and gently insert it to serve as a twig floor inside.
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5
Thread the twine or cord through one of the holes on the top of the birdhouse, run it along the inside, and pull it through the other hole in the overlapped edge. Pull the twine through till there are equal lengths on each side. Tie the ends securely together to make a hanger for the birdhouse.
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6
Use a pencil to mark a 1 1/8-inch circle for the entrance on one of the bark circles; it should be a little above center in the round piece of bark. Use a screwdriver to roughen up the inside of that round bark, below the entrance (this will help baby birds make their exit when they leave the nest). Poke two or three small holes near the top of each circle to provide ventilation near the roof of the birdhouse. Carefully cut the entrance hole in the bark circle, then glue both circles onto the ends of the bark birdhouse. Fasten the rubber bands lengthwise onto the birdhouse to hold both circles in place till the glue is dry.
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7
Cut one more piece of bark, 3 to 4 inches wide and long enough to wrap halfway around the edge of the birdhouse. Use the hot glue gun to attach this to the top of the birdhouse, like a little awning, to shelter the entrance hole. According to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, the overhang should be at least 3 inches wide to protect the entrance from driving rain. For added protection and decoration, soak a vine (grapevine or, ivy or any vine) in cool water for a half hour, and wrap it around the bark birdhouse, tucking in the ends to secure them.
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Tips & Warnings
Hang your bark birdhouse in a partly sunny area where it's not easily accessed by predators.
Face the opening away from prevailing wind.
Entrance holes 1 1/4 inch or wider will allow sparrows to nest; chickadees and wrens need only 1 1/8 inch entrances.
Some birds are territorial; don't put birdhouses too close together.
Do not add a perch to the outside of the birdhouse; this encourages predators.
Do not use any metals in the construction of the bark birdhouse.
