Birdhouse with your own hands: make and decorate +75 photos

Making birdhouse mutually beneficial to humans and birds. Birds will help to cope with the invasion of insects, leading subversive activities in the garden and gardening. Dry statistics say that in five days the brood of starlings is capable of destroying more than 1000 larvae of the May beetles, in the meantime snacking on slugs and caterpillars. If there are children in the family, then with the help of bird houses you can observe the life of their inhabitants, familiarizing the child with wildlife. Inside the birdhouse should be comfortable for feathered tenants. Outside it is decorated, making a stylish addition to the design of the site. Feathered unpretentious to the "interior" of his house. The main thing is to have a quality "box", and inside the birdies will bring order to your liking. The decor of the birdhouse outside completely falls on the shoulders of the person. It should not be too catchy, as birds prefer inconspicuous dwellings. Consider a series of workshops on creating birdhouses, get acquainted with the peculiarities of their manufacture and decoration options.

Material selection

Traditionally, birdhouses knocked out of ordinary wood. Material available and easy to handle. Recently, all sorts of cheap imitations of wood and plastic compounds have appeared, of which not only feeders but also birdhouses are being built. Not every material is suitable for a bird house. Some will become poor protection from cold and a source of harmful toxic fumes that can destroy both the bird family and all their offspring.

Not recommended materials

Plastic containers (bottles), as well as packages of Tetra Pak from milk or juice, are not suitable for making birdhouse. They do not pass air and do not retain heat. The house will be "cold." Plastic can exude an unpleasant smell that does not catch the human nose, but birds will feel good. In the hot summer, polyvinyl chloride, especially of poor quality, releases toxic substances that will provoke the death of feathered inhabitants of the decorative house. Transparent plastic lets the sun's rays, and the birds do not like the excess light. Tetra Pak bags inside are covered with foil, which at high temperatures concentrates heat in the birdhouse. A kind of "greenhouse effect" will cause the death of egg laying.

Plastic, milk and cardboard containers make excellent feeders: easy to manufacture and use. Birdhouses made of plywood, fiberboard, particleboard, OSB and other materials based on wood waste are also not suitable for bird houses. They have poor heat retention. Wood waste (usually sawdust) is pressed and glued using chemical compounds. This "glue" releases toxic fumes. Plywood bad sounds misses. Residents may not hear in time the approach of a bird of prey or a cat.

Ornithologists recommend

The best material for making a birdhouse is wood. Experts do not recommend the use of conifers. Over time, the wood will begin to produce resin. The bird will be smeared in it, and the feathers will stick together. This will adversely affect the ability to fly and lead to death. The optimal material according to ornithologists will be oak, birch, alder, maple or aspen. The thickness of the boards should be at least 2 cm. Otherwise, the material will not provide the temperature necessary for breeding chicks. The front sides of the boards are polished. Inside the wall is left without treatment. It is more convenient for birds to move along a rough surface. Suitable for the manufacture of nesting box croaker. Extreme boards - the waste processed only on the one hand. On the other remains the bark. The croaker is used for the construction of temporary fences. Birdhouses are also made from fully uncored boards or logs.

The pumpkin birdhouse will become an original decoration of the garden. Vegetable cleaned from the core and dried. An inlet is made in the front wall. Serve pumpkin birdhouses 1-2 years. Install them on wooden shelves, mounted on the trees.

Sizes and useful guidelines for making

The optimal height for birdhouses is 30 cm. The width and length of the bottom should vary between 15-20 cm. The notch diameter is about 5 cm. The distance from the inlet to the bottom is 15 cm. In large birdhouses, 4-5 chicks are hatching. Kids will grow flimsy. The family of birds cannot provide such brood fodder. Starlings will not even pay attention to tight “apartments”. If the boards were nevertheless chosen smooth, then from the inside from the bottom to the entrance to the entrance, their surface is thoroughly scratched. The path of the "clues" will help residents climb up. Such dimensions are optimal for sparrows and starlings, but another bird family can live in the house. For nuthatch and big tits, the size is modest. The bottom area is 10x10 cm, height - 2.7-2.8 cm, and the diameter of the notch - 4-4.5 cm. The dimensions of the perch and visor remain the same. For little bluebirds or flycatchers, the notch diameter is 3 cm, the bottom area is 8x8 cm, and the height is 25 cm.

Starlings prefer to look for food in the area near the house. They ignore their own garden. These birds will be useful if there is a master field nearby or a pasture for livestock. Starlings willingly destroy gadflies and ticks from domestic animals. Little birds do not fly away from home and are engaged in the extermination of insects right on the site. The perch must be strong (diameter not less than 1 cm). Its length does not exceed 5 cm. The visor is an obligatory part of the bird house. It will protect the notches from precipitation and will become an obstacle in the way of curious cats who want to eat the inhabitants of the apartment on the tree. The visor should protrude 5 cm. In order for the nesting box to be well ventilated, free air circulation is provided through holes. Four are drilled on the base of the house and two more on each wall. The diameter of the holes is 0.5–0.6 cm. For free access of a person to bird housing for the purpose of annual cleaning, the top cover is made folding. Do not go and visit the house often. This may scare away the birds, which will force them to go in search of another refuge. It is enough to clean the birdhouse once a year.

Lelet do round. Square entrance can cut birds. Large holes are made in birdhouses. Smaller flats are a sign of a blue tit.

Master Classes: do it yourself

The best material for the birdhouse is hardwood. The tree is used in the form of boards, logs and even thick branches. The latter option is suitable for those who do not have the opportunity to purchase quality wood. Lower thick branches can be cut on strong trees growing nearby. Harm it will not bring them. In addition to the classic birdhouses there are dublyanki, "sheds", "barrels". Before assembling the house they prepare a drawing on paper and apply a marking on the wood with a pencil. Measurements are carried out carefully. Work only with dry material. Raw wood cracks and deforms. Let us consider step by step the algorithms for the manufacture of birdhouses with their own hands from three types of material.

From the boards

Boards cut in accordance with the outline on paper. The classic nesting box has a shed roof. In later versions, they began to make a triangular "gable", covered with a two-pitched roof.

Work is divided into stages:

In the board, which will become the front wall, cut the inlet. It is made with an electric jigsaw and figured sawing or successively drill small holes along the contour of a circle. After carry out the alignment of the rasp. There is another "old-fashioned" way using a chisel and a hammer, but the work will take longer.
The board is connected with the two side using screws. Nails are also used, but they will not provide the same bond strength.
Attach the last rear wall and at the very end - the bottom.
Fix the roof. For removable options from the inside to the board nailed sleeve. You can not put it and press it to the house. The roof is fixed with screws, which are then easily unscrew.

You need to make boards as tightly as possible so that no cracks form. Clearances are the result of poor-quality cutting of wood or errors in the calculations in the drawing. The joints of the walls caulk tow or grease with clay. It should be remembered about the perch, which is nailed at the end to the already prepared nesting box. The stick can be replaced with a triangular-shaped piece of wood. Get a miniature porch.

Walls inside inspect for sticking nails or screws. Sharp tips can cut birds. The length of the nails and screws must be selected in accordance with the thickness of the walls of the birdhouse.

From a log

The process of making a birdhouse from a log (dump) is more laborious than working with boards:

The log is cleared of knots and twigs. The bark is not removed.
From him cut off a piece of the desired length.
On the log make markup. 5 cm recede from one edge, then 20 cm and another 5 cm (based on a length of 30 cm).
The lower and upper part will be the bottom and roof.
With the middle part of the log will have pretty tricky. Before sawing make the inlet.
The log is cut into three parts. Further work with the average module.
The core is carefully scraped. A long drill makes through holes along the contour of the inner circle. Indents are equal to the width of the future walls.

Using a saw or hacksaw, the core is cut out and pulled out.
The inner walls are cleaned and leveled with a chisel. Smooth walls are not needed. Birds fit "rough finish".
The bottom and the roof are nailed to the middle module. Sometimes use glue. The composition can get inside the birdhouse and soak it with unpleasant odors. It is better to use screws or nails.

The top cover can be replaced with a board, because the “native” part of the log will not have a visor. If the roof is nailed tightly, holes are made in it in advance for the wire, which fix the birdhouse on the tree.

From branches

Of the thick branches make birdhouses, log houses. Hut knocked on the same principles as the home for people, only a simplified scheme. The branches in them replace the logs:

The material is stripped of knots and planed. Curved branches for the birdhouse does not fit.
Gather the bottom, which form the first row - the crown.
On each branch make special notches. In the wells lie "logs" located perpendicularly.
Consistently lay out rows up to the roof. The upper part is made of boards. So that the image of the Russian hut was not spoiled by treated wood, the roof is masked with a “broom” assembled from small rods.

We must not forget about the entrance. The hole is formed at the construction stage of the birdhouse, having cut the pieces from a pair of "logs". The nesting box from the branches will have to be caulked with quality. Gaps are formed in it. Through the gaps in the house in winter the wind and cold will fall. From flexible thin twigs birdhouses weave like baskets. Sometimes branches are placed vertically. Elements will have to glue together.

How to decorate

There are many ways to decorate bird houses. The simplest option is painting. Some ornithologists believe that color is not important for birds. Others say that birds love more inconspicuous dwellings that are not distinguished by bright colors. If the birdhouse is stained, it is impossible to choose toxic or sharp-smelling compounds. Birds flat with the "smell" will be ignored. Color paint - a matter of man's taste. For safety net choose neutral shades that mask the home. Sometimes the surface of the boards covered with linseed oil. After drying, the composition will protect the wood from rotting processes, give a noble gloss, extend the life.

Decorating the birdhouse is carried out with the help of painting, using decoupage technique (image transfer), from wine corks, burlap, eggshell, matches, fabric, natural materials. Very popular "rustic" style. To decorate the birdhouse, you will need thin twigs, their saw cuts, straw, bark, small pebbles, cones and moss, which caulk the gaps. These materials decorate the exterior of the house, fixing it on the walls, the roof and miniature porches. Traffic jars birdhouse pasted on the facade. The material provides additional warming bird's house. Corks are placed like logs in a wooden house. For the roof make a special decoration - imitation tiles. It is made from traffic jams, cutting them across into miniature circles. Do not use rustling and shiny materials. The catchy decor will scare away the birds.

If you want to make a decorative fence in addition to the birdhouse, it is better to use ice cream sticks. They also make shingles. The rounded edges of the chopsticks are ideal for a tiny roof.

How to hang

For the birdhouse you need to choose the right place. Place the bird house in the depths of the garden. Its residents value convenience and safety. The optimal distance from the ground - 3-5 m. Predator difficult to reach. A man using the ladder will get a house for cleaning. To protect the birds from the attacks of cats, choose a place on the "bare" trunk. Around clear the branches. According to them, pets will be able to get close to the entrance. Birdhouses hang vertically or tilted forward. Birds will be convenient to climb the wall to the entrance. Tilting the birdhouse back is undesirable. In the house will fall precipitation. Do not recommend hanging birdhouses in places where drafts are walking or there is no protection from the sun's rays. Birds need peace. If several birdhouses are installed in the garden, the distance between them should be at least 50 cm. The families of birds are not happy about the close proximity. Birdhouse nailed to a stick. The pole is tied to a tree trunk with a rope or wire. Under it enclose fabric or burlap. Then the rope does not crash into the bark and does not harm the tree. The pole is fastened firmly so that the house does not sway in the wind.

Although the dwelling is called a birdhouse, different bird families can live in it: tits, sparrows, nuthatches, woodpeckers and swifts. Many are looking for nesting places early in February. Hang a brand new house better by the end of winter. Small birds arrive by March - April. Birdhouses adorn the gardens and walls of houses. Not all birds will choose a place for nesting in close proximity to human habitation. If you place a bird feeder with bird delicacies nearby, then the temptation will increase. For many birds, winter is a difficult time when they die from hunger. Having provided birds with housing, they also need to provide good feed. In the summer, they will thank for the treat, clearing the site of pests.

How to care for a nesting box

Some birds can grow two or three broods over the summer. For each new egg laying, they nest in again. As a result, the nesting box looks new from the outside, and inside it is clogged with straw, twigs and feathers. Birds do not clean up after themselves. They will not re-settle in dirty housing.

Every year in early spring, birdhouses clean:

Remove the lid and remove feathers from the house, food debris, other debris. The accumulation of these products will lead to the proliferation of parasites.
Disinfect the house. Scalded with boiling water or a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Birdhouse dry thoroughly.

Covering the bottom with straw or twigs is not recommended. Making the house inside the birds will be themselves. They have their own ideas about the optimal "decor". It is permissible to lightly dust the bottom with sawdust.

Conclusion

The first birdhouses appeared many centuries ago in ancient India. Material used unusual - bottle gourds. They took out the core of the vegetable, covered it with a lid and cut through the tap hole. Birds lane (locust starlings) settled in the houses. Periodically pumpkin changed to fresh. Classical wooden dwellings began to be made in the Old World. Europeans pursued other goals. They tamed the birds, kept them, collected eggs or fished for the last trip to the kitchen. Small birds in Europe were considered a delicacy. Even the rich did not disdain to taste a rare dish. In Russia, the birds loved. They were considered good heralds. Nobody attempted on the life of birds, but they were in no hurry to build houses. This practice appeared towards the end of the 17th century. The first birdhouses were made of birch bark. Fasting houses became works of art. In the technique of wood carving, they were decorated with human figures, animals, porches, fences and even pots on the fence. The dwellers of the houses did not need any decorations. They delighted people with morning singing. Starlings are wonderful imitators. Their singing consists of melodic roulades, chatter and sounds like frog croaking. Starlings can even imitate human speech. To do this, a bird will have to do a lot.