How to Make Bird Boxes

Whenever you go to a public park early in the morning, you can hear the musical chirping of birds. Many times, you cannot even see them, only their sweet voice reaches you. Due to increasing industrialization, birds are now seen only in parks, that too only at dawn when the park is empty! When you open your apartment window, all you see is tall skyscrapers! Even people having gardens are not lucky enough to see birds early morning. But did you know that birds can be attracted to your garden? Bird houses or bird boxes are the way to do so. Have you ever seen a bird box? It looks exactly like cute fairytale houses! I think the charm of the house also contributes in attracting birds to it! I am sure you must be wondering what are bird boxes and how to build a bird house? Well, we will obviously learn how to make bird boxes, but before that let us see what all you need while constructing a bird box.

Firstly, you need to decide the number of bird boxes that you want to have in your garden. Remember, birds also need their privacy like humans. Some species of birds do not entertain any other bird's nest nearby them, these species include blue tits. Common birds, like sparrow love company, so decide who you would like to be your invite and plan accordingly. Positioning the bird box is also very important. Some bird species prefer to stay on the highest branch of the tree while some prefer the center. So if you have a specific species in mind, plan accordingly. These are the main things to take into consideration while building bird boxes. How to make bird boxes? Let us see.

How to Make Bird Houses

First of all, there are no bird boxes plans, as birds have no requisites! So you do not need bird boxes designs while constructing a bird box. But the things that you will need to build a bird house are timber, ruler, pencil, saw, drill, hammer, galvanized nails, sandpaper and wood screws.

You need to cut the timber in 6 sections, using these measurements:

• For the back: 45cm x 15cm
• For the base: 11cm x 15cm
• For the front: 20cm x 15cm
• For the roof: 21cm x 15cm. For sloping roofs cut the timber 25cm high on the back x 20cm high at the front.

Mark these measurements on the wood and then cut along the pencil with the help of a saw. Start fixing the sides, nail only one side to the base wood first. When you are done nailing one side to the base, nail both the side and the base to the back section of the bird box. The wood can split, so hammer it while nailing. Now, turn the box and fix the other side just like you had nailed the first side.

Now drill a small hole in the front panel, if you want to attract blue, coal or marsh tits, a 25 mm hole is appropriate. For sparrows, drill a 32 mm hole. Do not make a wider entrance, as predators like squirrels will enter the bird box. Sand the edges of the entrance. Drill holes in the base for the purpose of water drainage.

Place the bird box on its back and nail the front panel to the side panels and make sure there are no gaps. Using wood screws or self-tapping screws, fix the roof to the sides and the front. Your bird box is ready! Hang it to a branch which is at least 5 feet above the ground and faces north east.

I hope this article has answered your question about how to make bird boxes successfully. As you must have observed, building unique decorative birdhouses is not difficult, so start building one immediately! Do not forget to place water inside the bird box so that the birds make it their home, you can even add a little cotton as bedding. Use your creativity to personalize the bird box the way you want!