Build a Birdhouse for Your Favorite Bird
The most important things for you to observe from the outset is the kinds of birds which frequent the yards where you are planning to locate your houses. Many people have failed to house their favorite birds because they did not know that the entrance openings vary with the size of the bird.
Use the following sizes for entrance openings which have been found highly satisfactory by several people who have studied the habits and haunts of birds. The diameters of the openings are as follows (in each case the measurement given represents the minimum diameter):
- For blue birds, tree-swallows and hairy and downy woodpeckers - 2 inches.
- For chickadees and Carolina wrens - 1 1/8 inches.
- For house wrens - 7/8 inch.
- For house-finches, crested fly-catchers and red-headed woodpeckers - 2 inches.
- For tufted titmouses, white-breasted nut- hatches and downy woodpeckers - 1 1/4 inches.
In the case of other species, experience alone will enable you to determine which is the diameter appropriate for each species.
Robins, barn-swallows and phoebes need one or more sides open.
Wood is found to be the most satisfactory material from which to make a bird-house. To avoid having it warp out of shape choose stock which is 3/8 inch, or even 1/2 inch in thickness. Then, too, you should construct your bird-house so that water will not run inside when it rains.
If possible, first decide upon the kind of bird for which you wish to make a house. The few suggestions which are given for birdhouse designs may help you to determine the type of construction you will use. It is best to allow for cleaning through the side, the top or the bottom. Keep in mind that the size of your bird-house will depend upon whether you are making it for one family or for several families. In the latter case, partitions, and sometimes an additional floor, will be needed to separate them.
After you have decided these matters it is more satisfactory to make a working sketch on which you should place the exact dimensions of each piece of wood to be used. Next, select your wood, which should be over 1/4 inch in thickness, for the reason mentioned, and shape each part to the desired size. Before making the entrance hole as shown, note, from the suggestions already given, the exact size of the opening which has been found most satisfactory for your favorite bird. For example, the opening for a house wren should be inch in diameter. This opening should be placed quite near the roof so that the bird may have ample room to make its nest. To give proper ventilation you will need to make even smaller holes above the entrance and near the roof. Do not forget these ventilation holes. If they are not provided your feathered guests may not desire to remain in their othei-wise perfectly comfortable quarters.
Regardless of whether you use brads, nails or screws, it is more satisfactory to set or countersink these deep enough that the heads may be covered with putty. Now you are ready to preserve your bird-house and improve its appearance with paint. Having decided about where you will locate it, you will be able to decide if green, brown or another color will harmonize best with the surroundings. When the paint is dry, securely fasten the bird-house to a tree or building, being careful not to have the entrance face the prevailing winds. The house should be placed out of the cat’s reach.
The designs that we show in the above illustration are very simple. Any bright boy may make these bird-houses out of odds and ends of wood, using a few simple tools like those which we describe in our article on carpentry. Boys who have had experience in carpentry may be able to work out more elaborate designs of their own.
