Tips for Building a Successful Wooden Bird House
Making wooden bird houses can be a fun and useful project. Bird houses will look beautiful in your yard, and will bring beautiful birds to your yard as well. There are many things to keep in mind when building your wooden bird house in order to keep it a safe and cozy place for the birds in your neighborhood.
Choosing the Material for Your Wooden Bird Houses
The first and most important step to making a bird house is choosing the material to make it out of. There are many different types of materials to use, but some materials will be better than others. Wood will always be the best choice of material as it is durable, and will not be subject to the heating properties other materials like metal are subject to. If the bird house heats up it can burn the birds, as well as overheat them.
The best materials to use for wooden bird houses are naturally decay resistant woods like redwood, cedar, or a good quality plywood. If you use pine or plywood to build the bird house, you may need to paint the house with a water based exterior latex paint in order to preserve the wood on the bird house longer. If you are using cypress or cedar woods, no painting is required, but can still be done to provide the look that is wanted.
Painting Your Wooden Bird Houses
When painting the bird house it is important to remember only to paint the outside of the bird house. The fumes and chemicals that can be in the paint, may harm the birds. Also, never use lead based paints anywhere on the bird house. If the birds peck at the bird house and happen to eat some of the paint, this could be very harmful to them. The color of the birdhouse can be important to consider as well. Certain colors like tans, grays, or dull greens or blues, will attract cavity nesting birds and be less conspicuous to predators at the same time. These colors are also good at reflecting heat in order to keep the birds safe. Brightly painted bird houses may attract unwanted attention from predators, so although they are fun to look at, that might be something to consider.
Placement of Your Wooden Bird Houses
When placing your bird house in the yard, it is important to take special consideration to keep the birds safe from predators. Make sure that the bird house is in a location that is inaccessible to predators. This can be in a tree, connected to a house, or on a pole standing in the grass. Whatever place it is put, make sure that it is stable and will not be easily knocked down. Be sure to face the opening hole away from the prevailing wind in order to keep the birds warm and safe. If it is possible, place the bird house in partial sunlight in order to avoid over heating or under heating the bird house.
If you love birds and want to have the addition of beautiful birds to your yard, building a beautiful wooden bird house can help to bring that idea to pass. Wooden bird houses can add character and beauty to any yard that can’t be found with anything else.