If you have a garden in your backyard, then birds like sparrows and robins are a common sight. Those of you who love the sight of birds in their garden would love to build a bird box. That’s if you’ve decided that even the best bird table on the market wouldn’t quite be right for your garden. Alternatively, you may find that your pond is often victim of the wildlife of the sky and you need to pick up heavy duty bird netting to keep them out.
You can create a bird box anywhere in your garden, but need to make sure that it is located somewhere safe. Because it is the perfect shelter for these small birds that are vulnerable to predators and want protection from the scorching heat or heavy rainfall. You may wish to plant it next to your cascading water feature, giving the birds an area to bath in.
A bird box is a happy home for all the birds that come to your garden frequently. Why not enjoy them in the comfort of your hammock stand?
In today’s guide, we are going to discuss with you how to make a bird box. It is not a very difficult task to construct the bird box, but you will need to keep a few things in mind and follow some essential steps to make it.
Step 1: Find the Right Spot
Primarily, find the right spot for placing the bird box. It should be ideally beneath the eaves of your home or possibly on a high wall.
This will keep the birds safe from felines and foxes! The bird box needs to be safely about 3 meters, which is roughly around 10 feet from the ground. It may also be a similar height to your retractable washing line.
Make the placement of the box at a place between North and East. This will prevent the bird box from getting too wet or hot during the different seasons of the year.
Step 2: Gather the Correct Wood
You will need the right wood to construct the wood. Keep in mind the thickness of the box, which will insulate it from heat and cold. It also prevents the box from warping.
For a lighter box, plywood seems to be an ideal material, and for something that is much more sturdy and durable, oak or beech wood is absolutely the perfect choice. This type of wood would also be suitable if you were looking at a garden storage bench to sit on when watching birds flock to your newly built bird box.
Step 3: Cut the Wood To Specification
It is crucial to cut the wood precisely according to the kind of bird box you want to build. Check the internet for how to make bird nesting box measurements. Always use a scale and sharp cutter to cut through the wood. It will help you to get a more precise finish. Adults should always be in charge of this.
Step 4: Nail the items together
Once the different sides and roof of the bird box have been cut and brought into shape, it is time that you nail all available pieces. But don’t nail the roof yet. Just nail the sides, front, and the back with good and premium nails.
Step 5: Attach the Roof
Attach the roof once all the components have been nailed against each other. Take the help of screws to do so. Doing this will help you to clean the bird box later on. You can put a waterproof strip to create a hinge between the backing board and the top edge.
Step 6: Drill the Drainage Holes
Your basic bird box is ready. Now you can drill some drainage holes in the base. This will help the water and other waste materials to drain. There will not be in damp conditions left on the surface.
Step 7: Plant it in the end
Now that everything is set, you can easily decorate them with non-toxic water-based paints. Once set-up, ensure that the area around it has enough fertilizer (we recommend using a best lawn spreader to get the job done) to ensure that the area is crawling with wildlife.
How a bird box helps the birds in the garden
Once you have figured out how to make the bird box, you can now attract the birds easily to your garden. There are numerous benefits offered by the bird box.
However, most commonly, we also know that birds visit the box when they want to feel safe. It helps them to live in a protected area and keep them away from predators. Apart from this, there are other advantages that the birds can enjoy with your bird box.
Controlling Pests
Birds usually eat insects, but when they hunt for the prey, they might end up eating the insects that have consumed the pests. To avoid unwanted pests in the yard and to have a clean food bird box is the best option.
They will feel free and avoid any harmful pesticides that can accidentally be consumed by them. You can also check out guide to Niger seeds to know more about what to feed birds.
During climatic change
More than humans, the birds are the important creatures affected by the climatic change. During summer, because of the rise in temperature, they may feel drained easily and want to settle somewhere safe.
Similarly, in winters, the birds may not be able to tolerate extreme cold. They eventually look for a place that provides warmth and comfort. Therefore, bird box contributes as a safe shelter during the climatic conditions. Learn how to make a bird box so you can create a seasonal bird box as well.
Controlling Weeds
Birds are very fond of weed seeds. If you have a beautiful garden, then birds will become your weed killer agent. It might be the case that you won’t even need to invest in a best weed killer if birds begin making regular trips to the garden.
Once when they get used to the environment, they start eating weeding, and your gardening chores will become less. They will eat the weed completely by staying in the bird box. Thus it becomes a win-win situation for you as the owner and also the bird. This can also be the case for moss as well, though it is usually best to get a moss killer just in case.
Helps in Pollination
As you know, the birds are one of the carriers in the pollination cycle. When you have the bird box in the garden, they help pollinate. By sipping the nectar from flower to flower, they spread the seed across and make your garden attractive with the native plants. Also, you will see that the bee population will start to diminish.
How to make a bird box out of recycled materials
Providing homes for the birds in your garden is a great initiative. But instead of a pre-made birdhouse, you can easily make the bird box yourself using recycled materials.
First of all, this is a great way to begin, because it is also a family activity in which you can involve the kids; bringing their creativity in making the best home for the birds.
If you have ever wondered how to make a bird box out of the recycled materials, check the guidelines below.
Materials that are suitable for bird box
Used ceiling fan blades, Plastic drain pipe, Scrap lumber, Paint cans, Coffee cans, milk jugs, Salvage woods and fallen branches.
As long as the recycled birdhouse has both depth and height to accommodate as the nest, you can use any of them to create the box.
You can find these items easily in the garage or shed. All you need to remember is that the materials do not have to be uniform as long as they are in good condition to serve the purpose.
Suppose, even if you do not have any of the materials mentioned above, you can even create the bird box with the milk and other cartons. They can be painted attractive and give enough space for the birds to create family activities.
Whenever you build the bird box with any recyclable material, you need to ensure that they have the following elements.
- Flooring
- Light space
- Cleaning access
- Ventilation
- Entry or Exit
These are mandatory elements for any bird box. So when you pick the recycled material, think if the object can have space for this entire element necessarily.
While creating the bird box cutting the corners of the bird box is the most essential part. You need to cut corners at the top of the wall for the air to circulate.
Secondly, cut the corner on the floor for draining out the waste. Ventilation, hygiene and light can keep the birds healthy and happy. Also, you can easily decorate them with eco-friendly products like pebbles, bottle caps and broken wooden pieces.
With the summer season taking its job a bit too seriously, it’s not just us humans that are affected by the scorching heat, but the birds and animals out there also.
This is a time when you could probably do to help them; especially the birds as their access to proper shelter and water are minimal. Setting a bird box in your garden is the ideal solution one can come with as this provides the birds with the shelter and keeps them safe.
Further, having a bird box in your garden would even help the birds to build their own home. It’s quite easy to build a bird box on your own with just a few supplies. Further, it can be an exciting project for you to work on as well.
How to make a bird nesting box
Supplies required: Untreated, sawn timber, nails, self-tapping screws, Drill, Wood saw, Sandpaper, Hammer, screwdriver, Tape measure, Pencil, Roofing felt small patch
1. Decide where you are placing the nesting box
The first step of making a bird box is to make sure you find the right spot to place them. You need to make sure that the bird box is a bit alleviated form the ground so that other animals such as cats cannot reach them.
Further, if you are planning to keep more than one bird box to differentiate among species, make sure to leave a distance between them to avoid territorial behaviour among birds. They should also be placed in a spot where the sheltering is right, to protect them from harsh weather conditions.
2. Choosing wood is critical
One thing to be noted especially when you think of how to make a bird box is the thickness of the wood you use. It should be not too thick or too thin to have the box be insulated but prevent heat from seeping in as well. You can use various types of wood for making a bird box depending on the type of box you want to make. The popular woods used included plywood (for lightweight boxes), hardwood (for sturdy boxes) and softwood.
3. Measure and cut wood
- You can come up with your measurements according to how big you want the bird box to be and the species you are looking to accommodate in your garden. However, for reference on how to make a bird box, an ideal one would have measurements of back panel 45cm x 15cm
- Base 11cm x 15cm (with a few drilled holes for drainage)
- Front 20cm x 15cm
- Roof 21cm x 15cm
- Two side panels cut for a sloping roof
- 25cm high on the back x 20cm high at the front
After you draw, measure and cut the wood, make sure to sand the rough edges to protect the birds from any harm.
4. Nailing all the pieces
This is the part where you need to have a clear cut idea of the design of your bird box. You need to start by joining the base of the bird box to the back and then the sides.
Remember that the roof goes in the final stage and do not forget to drill a hole to let air flow. If you are making a fully covered bird box, then you would need to drill bigger holes, according to the size of the bird species you wish to entertain, so that they can get inside the box.
In the final stage, you can attach the roofs using screwdrivers. You can further keep them all in place using self-tapping screws.
5. Decorate
This is the most fun part of making a bird box. Think of exciting colours and patterns that you could paint on the bird box. Make sure not to use very dark colours like red and orange too much as they would scare away the birds instead of attracting them.
An interesting colour combination would ideally attract the birds and have them in no time. You can also keep out some Sunflower Hearts bird food to initially get them used to the bird box.
How to make a bird box for different birds
No two birds of the same species can use one bird box. Bird boxes vary according to the size, the entrance holes, and the species that are uniquely designed for.
If you are looking forward to putting up more than one bird box in your garden, to accommodate more than one species, then your bird box would need to be adjusted accordingly. Some of the tips for commonly found birds such as blue tit, great tit and house sparrows include:
- A blue tit often prefers a small bird box with a hole of around 25 mm and 5m above the ground. It often makes nests with moss and hair and in a small space. Blue tits often are very vulnerable to predators such as sparrow hawks and even grey squirrels that try and steal their eggs. Keep the box away from the feeding area or also treetops. A bird box for blue tits can be ideally kept in a safe shadow corner in your garden to attract them easily.
- A great tit needs a bigger entrance of around 28mm hole. The tit is also found around in the garden and can be attracted easily. It can also have a square-shaped entry as they like to have a clear flight towards the entrance. They often build their nest using twigs and dried roots and moss for keeping it soft. A bird box made for great tit can also attract the tree sparrows as their requirements and nesting style is similar.
- A bird box comes as an invaluable resource for house sparrows even though they have rapidly declined due to less suitable environmental conditions. A house sparrow would ideally require a 32mm hole in its bird box. Further, it makes its nest with thick vegetation. The bird box can be kept around 2m high for the house sparrows.
- If you are further wondering how to make a bird box for the robin, it’s as simple as the ones who did. The only difference is that you need to keep an open front to attract them. The dimensions can be kept the same as the one you would use for a house sparrow. However, if you are looking to attract bigger birds, it will need to be changed accordingly.
There is no big difference between the nesting box and the bird box. But usually, they are categorized based on the purpose. For example, the setup of the nesting box is to bring not only the individual birds but also their family.
Hence during the period of laying eggs, they choose nesting boxes. Also, most of the bird boxes are shared by the native birds. However, when you have the nesting box, the older bird does not allow other birds to share the space. That is where the bird box and nesting box are different from each other.
Now that you know how to make a bird box, why not take the supplies and get started and enjoy the visits of these birds right in your garden.
We hope we have answered your question on how to make the bird box in a detailed manner. In this article, we have shared all the nuances that you may require in creating the bird box for your garden. Make this summer the best opportunity for you to build homes for the birds.