It is finished!!!!
Since I am a visual learner I thought it would be cool to videotape the building of a birdhouse. (You know those assembly instructions that come with media centers and some kids toys- they really should be in video format). That is why I did this.
Because my brothers and sister don’t share my interest in birds I couldn’t get them to volunteer to build this birdhouse for me(though my sister would have been great since she has a flair for the dramatic-as would have my daughter but she is only 3). So I volunteered for my own video. I would have loved to been able to wear a bag on my head to make it but its difficult to build a birdhouse that way. Alas the video needed to be made so I put aside my pride and viola you can now check it out online!!
I used one of my simple easy birdhouse plans in my nifty ebook and I go from explaining the supplies needed to the finished product. It is truly the nest box of all nest boxes!!
***If you want to see how a nest box is built before you build it youself just sign up for the newsletter/free birdhouse plans on the right side of the website and I will send you viewing instructions.
I did all of the work. My dad did the videotaping and he kept me in line when I started to freak out because I was actually making a video that would be posted on the internet-eeek. It is 20 minutes long- all of the drilling and sawing has been put on high speed so it looks a little funny. Feel free to laugh but don’t make fun of me =) Just remember this was done for the sake of the birds!!
Disclaimer: this is my first birdhouse!!! but I built the birdhouse to save the birds!!
1. If you receive your mail at your door, replace the mailbox with a top or side opening birdhouse(just for the season)
2. Bring it inside and let the kids pass secret notes to each other
3. If it was a “nude” birdhouse or if it’s a little weathered, spiff it up with a new coat of paint(remember tan, green and brown are best)
4. If it is a top opening birdhouse use it to hold pens, markers, remote controls, etc.
5. If it is a birdhouse that looks like a house make it into a front door decoration(much like a wreath) and add a sign that says “Home Tweet Home”
6. Set it somewhere in a prominent place like your living room or kitchen and use it as a conversation peice about the benefits of having a birdhouse
7. Give it to a family member or neighbor so they can enjoy the upcoming nesting season(and get my FREE birdhouse plans and build yourself a new one=))
***Before trying any of these tips make sure the birdhouse is clean!!! Build a birdhouse…Save a bird!
So a couple of weeks ago I put my ebook of “FREE Easy Birdhouse Plans” to good use and used the Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, and House Wren nestbox plan and built myself a good looking birdhouse!!! What’s even more fun is we videotaped it!! So within the next week or so I will have that available on this site for download and you can watch me use the easiest birdhouse plans ever to build my first birdhouse.
Now I am not really the type of person that likes to watch myself do anything- as a photographer I li
ke being behind the camera but I am a visual learner and I know so many others are too- so I wanted to create something that would show you exactly what you need, how to use it, what it looks like when you
are building it and what you can expect when you are done!!! What that means for you and your kids is you can do it too!!!!
So here is how much it costs to build your own birdhouse!
*The beautiful peice(it was almost too nice to turn into a birdhouse) of pine wood was a 1″ X 6″ X 6′ so I had extra in case I messed up my measurements(which thankfully I didn’t) it cost $10.50
*I bought 150 brass screws for $7 of which I only used 18(plenty left over for more birdhouses =)) so actual cost for screws used: $0.90!!!
*I bought a pair of hinges to modify the plan from a side opening nestbox to a top opening they cost $3.25
I borrowed the drill and 3 bits, the saw, all my measuring tools, a workbench and the wood glue (Dads are a great resource so are neighbors!)
SOOOOO the total project cost $14.65!!!!!
Get ready to Build a birdhouse….Save a bird!
Finally you say!!!
I know you were wondering if it would ever happen- a website devoted to birdhouses and no birdhouse plans? Well that was yesterday and today I have 3 super duper easy birdhouse plans!!!! Just sign up on the right side of the screen and viola’ all instructions for building and enjoying the fruits of your labor are at your fingertips =)
I am pretty proud of my FREE “ebook” if you will. The birdhouse plans are unaltered and used with permission by the U.S. Geological Survey.
A quick rundown of what you will find included with these nifty birdhouse plans:
*Pages 2-3 include Materials needed to build a nest box, Tips on drainage and ventilation, How-to check the nest box, Tips on placement and preventing predators
*Pages 4-6 include 34 cavity nesting birds and the dimensions of their nest box or nesting platform
*Pages 7-8 includes the birdhouse plan for Black-capped Chickadees, House Wrens and White-breasted Nuthatches. I included a color picture of the birds as well as breeding range, specific nest box instructions(if any) and information on nesting behaviors(incubation, egg description, and fledging)
*Pages 9-10 includes the birdhouse plan for Tree Swallows and Eastern Bluebirds as well as the birds’ specific information.
*Pages 11-12 includes the nesting shelf plan for the American Robin and Barn Swallow as well as the birds’ specific information.
*Pages 13-14 is an extra bonus- the plans for a Johnson Bat House. I included some important information about those plans and specifics about the Big and Little Brown Bat. (After reading up on these guys I should change my slogan to Got Bugs…Build a Bat house- they eat 3,000 to 7,000 bug a night!!!!)
These plans are easy enough you could do them with your kids(5 and older). They can measure, glue, drill and paint!!
I hope you enjoy the plans and the information!!!
Remember… Build a Birdhouse…Save a Bird!!!
I have been researching birdhouse options and have made my decision. To buy or build?
I will share my pros and cons list for both buying and building bird houses =)
To buy pros: *You can pick one out as a family, *No elbow grease necessary, * You can buy it and put it up all in the same day, *As a novice builder it might be easier to pick one out that looks exactly like you want(i.e. a birdhouse that matches your house), *You can buy it online
To buy cons: *Can be expensive, *Can be confusing (so many many many options), *You need to make sure it has drainage, ventilation, no perch etc.
To build pros: *Great family activity, *More affordable, *If you build it they will come =), * You feel satisfied when the work is done, *It is great stress relief, *You have control over whether the birdhouse is safe from the very beginning, *You can get the plans free on this website!!
To build cons: *You might have to buy or borrow some tools, * You will have to find the materials needed (Home Depot can be a big store when all you want is nails and a 4X10), *Elaborate fancy birdhouse plans might be difficult for novice birdhouse builders=)
Well my decision was to……. Build a birdhouse…to save a bird!
Was that really a surprise!! Watch for my birdhouse building video!! It should be uploaded within the next 2 weeks.
I just read an interesting article in the National Geographic News by Robert Winkler. It spouts some interesting facts about where we are spending some of our money.
In a 2001 survey, 1/3 of Americans 16 years and older(that’s 66 million people) fed and photographed wildlife and spent 40 million dollars doing it!!!
Over the past 5 years wildlife watchers (aka birders) grew by 5% and spending on binoculars and birdhouses(ha I knew it) went up by 33%.
Vermont had the highest wildlife participation rate at 60%, Minnesota was 2nd at 54% and Alaska and Wisconsin tied for 3rd place with 53%
Among the 60+ million people who enjoy watching wildlife around their homes, bird feeding was the most popular activity. Americans spent $2.6 billion dollars on bird food and $730 million dollars on birdhouses, feeders and baths. WOW!
So why do we like birds so much? Paul Green the executive director of the American Birding Association says “birds are by far the easiest wild animals to find and watch. They’re also the most appealing, with colors and behavior that make them aesthetically pleasing and fascinating.”
This survey is conducted every 5 years by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and was based on telephone interviews given by the Census Bureau. I can’t wait for the newest stats! If you don’t want to build a birdhouse you can buy one =) Happy Birding!
Here are several savvy charities that do what they do best with birdhouses!!
On May 5th 2007, 21 Fox Run Elementary 4th graders participated in the 5th annual birdhouse building and decorating contest!! These birdhouses were auctioned off and all of the proceeds were given to SAMMinistries in San Antonio Texas, a non-profit ministry providing shelter and services to the homeless. This was the third year for these students to participate in the community wide event.
On September 27th, 2007 the Albany Charity for the Arts in Education held its 4th annual birdhouse auction. These birdhouses were made by vocational students out of raw wood and then local artists painted their visions onto these birdhouses. The proceeds went to ACAE’s mission of supporting art eduction in Albany NY. They had over 60 artisits participate.
On September 30th, 2007 Princeton Community Housing celebrated their 40th anniversary with a birdhouse auction. PCH advocates affordable housing for families and seniors. 124 birdhouses built by architects and artists were auctioned off. The event was successful financially and socially and brought together community supporters.
Check out the above link for some creative ideas for your own birdhouses.
Build a birdhouse and save so much more!!!!!
This is a synopsis of a story I read about in the October 2007 issue of Guideposts, Where Bluebirds Sing Again, written by Frank Newell from Warrenton, North Carolina.
For many years he and his wife enjoyed watching the bluebirds return to their farm to nest in mid-February, usually in the wood posts of their fence. Over the years as Frank returned home for vacation from the military he noticed les
s and less bluebird songs. Where bluebirds used to be out collecting bugs for their new chicks, now there was clear cutting of the forests and more famers using metal fence posts instead of wood.
Starting to feel empty with retirement around the corner and no more of the bluebirds ”velvet soft warbling” he headed to his workshop. For the next week he put together bluebird house after house. Before he returned to work almost every birdhouse had a bluebird couple nesting. It was from that point on that Frank spent every vacation moment building bluebird houses. Other people also began to get involved.
One day they put together several different models to let the bluebirds examine. The differences were subtle- a smaller entrance hole or a different baffle tacked around it-the bluebirds could tell the difference and they picked the same house every time. He still builds slightly different models every once in a while to see if the birds tastes change.
His birdhouses started going up all over Warrenton and requests came in from all over North Carolina. In 1998, two years after he officially retired he set up a birdhouse factory outside Warrenton. Today he has shipped over 75,000 houses to almost every state in the country and he now works as a wildlife rehabilitator.
Awesome!! Build a birdhouse, save a bird!!!
Nest-box cameras- This is something that totally fascinates me!! I want to own one now!!!
The cameras fit inside a birdhouse and give you a fantastic view of its inhabitants. They use infrared optics and usually brodcast in black and white so that the birds can live in darkness.
These cameras then can be hooked up to your TV, VCR, or computer and you can record the nesting activity to watch later or you can watch it live. Cornell University has several nest box cams and they are so much fun to watch.
You can also set up a camera in front of your bird feeder or bird bath and get some great pictures. This is a great activity if you are a birder or if you have kids and you want them to learn about bird behavior.
Here is a link to a bluebird nest box camera from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
I just read a great article/bird interest story from the Mississippi Audubon Society. It was about the 2006 Operation Backyard Recovery. When we think of Katrina we think of massive housing and business damage, but we often forget that birds lost their roosting and feeding sites.
A well-known birder, Judy Toups recognized this problem and called for birders within the Missisippi, Arkansas and Lousiana 
areas to build and put up birdhouses wherever possible. The benefits of OBR were to provide a family oriented activity, to connect the local Audubon Societys, and to promote the Great Backyard Bird Count.
The Houses for Birds Program included birdhouses that were low-cost and easy to assemble and specifically focused on woodpeckers, titmice and chickadees. This project has engaged children and families and schools and fostered a true sense of service and appreciation for nature. To date, hundreds of birdhouses, built with recycled fence boards collected across coastal Mississippi have been placed across the coast.
Doesn’t that feel good!!! Build a birdhouse, save a bird. (I knew my slogan had roots somewhere =))
