Building a birdhouse: here's everything you need to know

 Building a birdhouse in your garden is an effective way to take care of wild birds. When you find an injured bird in your garden, you can treat their wounds and then provide them shelter in the birdhouse until they get better.

 Also, when the birds are looking to nest when it’s extremely cold outside, your birdhouse can help them stay warm and safe. It’s not some rocket science to build a birdhouse. Here are the basic steps that show you how you can get done with the task in no time:

Get the Materials

Get 1 by 8 inch thick wooden planks that don’t get damaged due to rain or other weather conditions. You can opt for cedar or cypress wood for longevity. It’s best to go for untreated wood so that you can paint it in desired colours.

You can use nails to build a birdhouse, but it’ll affect the strength of wooden planks. Instead, you should get galvanized screws to make your work even easier.

Now, cut the planks into smaller pieces. You’ll need the pieces of the following sizes:

• 2 pieces of 4 by 3.5 inches 
• 1 piece of 5 by 3.25 inches
• 1 piece of 4.75 by 7 inches
• 1 piece of 5.5 by 7 inches
• 2 pieces of 5 by 8 inches

Now drill holes in the wooden pieces to secure them with screws.

Assemble your birdhouse

Paint the wooden pieces in attractive colours. Once they get dry, you can start your birdhouse project. However, refrain from painting the inside of the birdhouse or the wild birds may peck at it and end up consuming the paint.

Spread wood glue on the edges of the pieces of wood and attach the pieces to form the walls of the birdhouse. Once the glue dries, attach the floor and the roof pieces with the help of galvanized screws. You can also use wood glue to further strengthen them.

Mount the Birdhouse

Now that your birdhouse is ready, you can mount it in your garden to attract various species of birds. Try to mount it under an awning to protect it from the environmental factors.

For this purpose, you need to find the right place in your garden where you can mount it easily. It’s not recommended to hang it from the branch of a tree. If the branch breaks down due to strong winds, the birds may get injured. Also, birds don’t like living in birdhouses that keep swaying with the wind.

So, mount it to a metal pole at a height so that the birds can stay safe from predators. Birds usually prefer birdhouses where they can get natural sunlight in the mornings. So, if you want to attract birds, you should keep its front door facing east.

Now that you know how to make a birdhouse, you can easily build small houses to protect wild birds from extreme weather. It’s a simple project, so you can also ask your children to help you out.