How to Make a Birdhouse for an American Robin

An American robin could find a cozy home in a birdhouse made from a gourd.

American robins, nuthatches, bluebirds, chickadees and wrens will find a cozy home in a dried gourd that has been adapted for their use. This gourd birdhouse requires no woodworking skills or special equipment other than a drill. The natural form of the gourd will blend in well with your backyard or garden, and the birdhouse can be hung from the branch of a tree or a porch railing. These attractive birdhouses would also make excellent gifts for some bird-loving friends.

Things You'll Need

• Gourd, approximately 14 inches high and 8 inches wide
• Newspaper
• Plastic pail
• Coarse scrub brush
• Knife
• Large spoon
• Fine sandpaper
• Tack cloth
• Shellac
• Foam paintbrush
• Drill
• 1-inch diameter 12-inch long wooden dowel
• Rope

Instructions

1. Place the gourd on a layer of newspaper arranged in a warm, dry spot. Turn the gourd every two days for two weeks to dry it thoroughly. When fully dry, it will be light in weight and papery to the touch.

2. Place the gourd in the pail and cover it with water, soaking it for one hour. Scrub off the gourd's outer skin with the coarse brush.

3. Cut a hole in the front of the gourd with the knife. Carefully enlarge the hole until it is large enough to put your hand through. Scrape out the interior of the gourd with the spoon.

4. Drill a small drainage hole in the bottom of the gourd with the drill.

5. Sand the outside and interior of the gourd with the sandpaper thoroughly, or until the gourd is smooth to the touch both inside and out. Remove sandpaper dust with the tack cloth.

6. Paint the outside and interior of the gourd with the shellac and foam brush, and let it dry for two hours.

7. Drill a small hole below the large hole and a corresponding hole in the back of the gourd. Insert the dowel for the perch through both holes.

8. Drill a small hole at the top of the gourd. Knot the end of a 10-inch length of rope and thread it through the home from the inside. Tie the rope around a tree branch to hang the completed birdhouse.

References

• "365 Nature Crafts and Activities"; Candyce Norvell, Karen E. Bledsoe; 1998
• "Nature Crafts"; Edna Clapper; 1976