A house in the heights - how to build a birdhouse yourself?
A house in the heights - how to build a birdhouse yourself?
In winter, with less gardening to do, we have time to tackle projects we usually don't have time for. While birdhouses can be purchased inexpensively at almost any garden center or supermarket, making them yourself is much more satisfying.
Building a birdhouse doesn't require experience, qualifications, or even sophisticated manual skills. Basic knowledge is enough. power tools such as a saw or drill, which, with the help of a regular hammer, will successfully guide us through the entire process. Of course, a bit of imagination and good will are also essential to ensure that the birds enjoy their new home.
How to make a birdhouse?
When constructing a nesting box, it's worth following a few rules. It's best to use regular wooden boards, ideally with one side unplaned (this makes it easier for the chicks to climb into the exit hole). Slightly less expensive alternatives include OSB boards and water-resistant plywood, but avoid materials made of plastic, metal, or PVC.
We assemble it using nails or screws, remembering that it is necessary to clean the inside of the birdhouse at least once a year - for this purpose, it is best to consider an easily removable roof, which should be placed in a sloping position - from the tree trunk towards the front.
What are the dimensions of the birdhouse?
Depending on the group of birds for whom we're preparing the nesting box, it should have a different opening diameter. A small, several-centimeter circle should be carved for tits, great tits, or sparrows, a larger one for woodpeckers or jackdaws, and the largest, several centimeters, for tawny owls or jays. The entrance should be well away from the bottom of the box so that potential predators can't reach the chicks with their paws. For this reason, it's also not recommended to install any "perches"—sticks—which the birds don't use, but provide a convenient handhold for hungry martens and cats.
When and where do we hang birdhouses?
We hang the boxes in a safe, shaded spot, at a considerable height (the optimum is 4 meters above the ground, but tawny owls require up to a dozen meters), with the opening facing east. The mounting must be solid – no one will want to live in a rickety house. Ideally, the box itself should be mounted on a batten, which is then nailed to the tree using non-corrosive aluminum nails.
The nest boxes will be occupied in early spring – perhaps not immediately, but a year from now. We don't have to worry about this, as sometimes the boxes also serve as winter sleeping quarters – for example, for woodpeckers. It's important to remember that each year before spring, we must clear them of old nests.
For us, nesting boxes are a small expense—both in terms of energy and money. For the birds, they offer a chance for safe survival. This small gesture is worth paying them back for the wonderful concerts they give us for free and selflessly for many days a year. We owe them this.
