But whether you are those kind of people who like to build functional birdhouse or you don’t seem to have the patience to follow steps to build birdhouses and rather just go to your local pet store and get the birdhouse designs that you like, there are some simple precautions you will need to take note of.

First, you will need to know what kind of birds you want to attract to your backyard. It could be a certain kind of bird in which you like its color or song. You should then find out as much information about the species of bird that you want to attract so you can build birdhouses or buy birdhouses that are catered to that particular species of bird.

There are several advantages when you cater your birdhouse to meet the requirements of specific bird species. First, you can adjust the opening sizes of the entrance of the birdhouse to increase the safety of your birdhouse for the nesting bird. The entrance opening size of the birdhouse should not be too big to allow bigger predators to enter and not too small either.

Second, by knowing the exact requirements, you can then tailor your bird houses design interior to cater for the nesting bird’s requirements like choosing the correct materials and having the correct equipment in the birdhouse.

Of course any functional birdhouse should also have the necessary defense against natural predators. Cat proofing bird feeders and birdhouses is important to increase the attractiveness of the birdhouse to nesting birds.

So to build bird houses is a relatively simple yet difficult task because you need to do a lot of pre-planning before you actually make and place your birdhouse in your backyard. Making bird house is a great personal achievement and it is not just about asking how to make a birdhouse.

Post from: How to Build Bird Houses or Buy BirdHouses

Birdhouses Designs

In our previous post, we have shared our experience on how to make a bird house. Basically, you will need to find some good birdhouse building materials. So what materials are safe for bird houses ? Wood is a great material for building a birdhouse because firstly, it has good insulation against the hot sun in mid day and second, it is quite weather proof and hardy. Although some people ask me how to build a metal birdhouse, I usually explain to them that metal is an extremely good conductor of heat. As such, it is not advisable to build a birdhouse made up of metal because during the afternoon sun, it will heat up the interior of the birdhouse, making it very uncomfortable for the nesting birds inside. Moreover, wood can be cut easily and you can make different kind of fancy birdhouses or choose your own unique  bird houses designs to follow.

To build birdhouses, the most important thing you should take note of is the species of birds that you want to attract to your birdhouses. Observe the birds that visit and if you would like a certain species of birds to visit and nest, find out more about them. Find out about their characteristics, their size and their nesting preferences. These information are readily available at your local library or you can ask your local pet store for more information.

Building a birdhouse with the exact requirements that the species of bird that you want to attract, then you will have a great chance of actually attracting them to come and nest at your birdhouse.  Also, when you are building a birdhouse, the paint inside birdhouse is also an important factor. Choose only paints that are non-toxic and does not contain any lead when you are painting inside birdhouse. This also goes in correlation with the rule of what materials are safe for bird houses.

That being said, one of the major factors that a successful birdhouse should possess should be a good situated location in your backyard. No matter you have see through birdhouses or have build birdhouses of your own, finding a good location for your birdhouse is an important activity. Do not buy or build birdhouses with perches as it will allow predators to use it to get to the birds that are nesting in your birdhouses. One of the more common question is that how to squirrel proof birdhouses. Well, by situating the birdhouse away from trees and objects that the squirrel can climb on to jump onto the birdhouse. Also, locate the birdhouse on a pole so that squirrels will find it hard to climb. You can also make sure that the birdhouse opening sizes are not too big, so that it will make it harder for predators to get to the nesting birds inside.

Post from: How to Build Bird Houses or Buy BirdHouses

How to Make Birdhouses and Place Birdhouses

Why are lawn and garden decor birdhouses good choices for ornamental pieces ? Because lawn and garden decor birdhouses goes more then being a piece of decorative item. They form great shelters for birds throughout the year. They are also a point of food source for birds during periods where food is scarce like winter time. They are also a great nesting area where visiting birds can live in and breed their young.

More and more of the birds natural nesting areas are being destroyed everyday with illegal and irresponsible logging and because of this, deforestation is happening at an alarming rate. These birds do not have a natural place to stay and you, putting up some lawn and garden decor birdhouses is really doing a huge deal of good to these birds.

How does lawn and garden decor birdhouses accentuate your backyard garden ? Well, besides giving these birds a place to put up shelter, the birds will visit your backyard bringing their unique songs and colors, adding live and vibrancy to your backyard garden. Who wants a garden full of non-living things ? Why not replace those dull metallic objects with real birds that is sure to please you and entertain you with their songs ? There’s nothing more satisfying then putting up lawn and garden decor birdhouses and birds visiting them. They may even choose your birdhouse to nest in and lay their eggs in them. Imagine one fine morning when you wake up, you look out to your backyard garden and two seedy eyes peek out at you through the small opening entrance of the birdhouse. Yes, its a baby bird greeting you !

Over the years, many of the people who have backyard gardens have approached us on how to build birdhouses and buy birdhouses as they realize the importance of lawn and garden decor birdhouses. As such, we have put up an online store at our Birdhouse Amazon Store where they can choose from a wide range of designs to suit any decor that they may have. You can access our online store by click here.

If you like to build your own birdhouses, we also have a birdhouse building kit at our Birdhouse Amazon Store.

If you are thinking of re-decorating or re-modelling your lawn, why not choose lawn and garden decor birdhouses today. You can buy easily in the comfort of your own home at our Birdhouse Amazon Store.

Post from: How to Build Bird Houses or Buy BirdHouses

Lawn and Garden Decor Birdhouses

If you do not have a particular species in mind, and just want to enhance your garden with visiting birds, you can create bird housing that are in a multi-compartment bird house design. These multi-compartment birdhouse design can attract different kinds of birds because they are of different sizes, shapes and colors. They can also be placed in different areas in your backyard to attract diffferent bird species.

If you are those people who likes to design and build birdhouses, creating birdhouse designs for wooden birdhouses can be a fun and rewarding experience. If you have kids, you can also involve your kids into your birdhouse building activity too. Its a good way for them to express themselves and invoke their creativity little minds. All in all, if you like to design and build birdhouses, regardless of what birdhouses designs you choose, you will get a great deal of satisfaction when you place your own birdhouse out on the backyard and birds start using it. That itself, is a priceless experience.

However, if you are in another camp of people who likes to buy decorative birdhouses instead, the current pet shops carry a huge number of decorative birdhouses nowadays. You can click here to visit our Birdhouse Amazon Store which carry the widest range of birdhouse designs. Although you may not have the customization ability and the choice of the exact design you want, there are still very good birdhouses out there for sale and on our Birdhouse Amazon Store. Moreoever, these birdhouses comes in many different designs to suit every decor and environment that you have. The biggest advantage of getting a ready-made birdhouse is of course, convenience and you can immediately set up and attract birds once you get it. With a huge selection that can be selected in the comfort of your own home by visiting our Birdhouse Amazon online store by clicking here, you can be sure that you can find a birdhouse that suits you needs and your decor.

No matter if you have chosen to build birdhouses or buy bird houses, its still a good thing that you are providing them on your backyard for visiting birds to nest in them. Everyday less and less natural nesting places existing for birds of all kinds because of inresponsible logging which are stripping natural forest at an alarmingly rate. Hence, the reduction of the natural nesting areas for birds are causing many birds species to reduce in number dramatically. Therefore, your birdhouses, whether you have chosen to buy bird decorative houses or build birdhouses, they are greatly appreciated.

Do note that whether you buy birdhouses or build birdhouses, the factors for ensuring that your birdhouse is safe for birds is still the same. The materials should be safe to use in birdhouses like untreated wood and paints that are not toxic and do not contain lead. The thickness of the wood if it is a wooden birdhouse should be at least three quarter inches thick to maximum the wood insulation properties. There should not be a birdhouse perch to prevent predators from using it to harm the nesting birds inside. These are few tips to increase the attractiveness of your birdhouse. You can find more tips in our previous post on this site.

Most importantly of you, please do have fun enjoying nature and the birds. If you are having fun and are passionate, then everything would be just fantastic for you and the birds.

Post from: How to Build Bird Houses or Buy BirdHouses

Build BirdHouses versus Buying Birdhouses

If you have already build decorative bird house for yourself and you find yourself constantly guarding your new fancy birdhouse from predators like squirrels and cats, then its going to be a really tiring experience. How do we further squirrel proof or cat proof our birdhouses ?

First, you can use an associative behavioural modifier on your predators. This is useful if you have a see-through birdhouse or a platform birdhouse since the predators can see clearly what’s inside the birdhouse. What you need to do is very simple. You need to associate a bad experience to the predator when a predator attempt to attack your birdhouse. How will you do it ? Simple. Every garden has a garden hose of some sort. When a predator like cat or a squirrel attempts to come near your birdhouse, you turn on your garden hose and shoot a jet of water at it. Cats don’t like getting wet and after some time they will learn that going near the birdhouse will cause them to get wet and they will not want to do it. You will need to perform this technique for about a couple of weeks. This is a good way to squirrel-proof or cat-proof your birdhouse.

Second, we have talked about the mounting options for your birdhouse to make it a high rise bird house. Mounting options is an important factor consider when you are building a birdhouse. In addition to that, you should also check for any presence of food around the birdhouse. Usually people who do backyard barbecue sessions or having regular backyard party session will usually tend to leave food lying around. The scent of these left over food will attract hungry animals to your backyard and to your birdhouse. Make sure that after your party or barbecue sessions, clean up properly especially around your grill area. Most of these food are accidentally dropped around the grill area.

Third, people who have pets in the backyards should not keep the pet food in the backyard too. Try to keep the food indoors so that the scent of the pet food will not attract predators to your backyard. Keep your pet food bowls and food in doors or in a proper storage area away from your backyard to avoid predators from coming to your backyard and your birdhouse. This will keep your birdhouse safer.

In addition to these tips above, you can also purchase a ultrasonic outdoor cat deterrent device like this one shown above to keep cats away from your birdhouse. These devices are requires the least effort to keep cats away reliably and easily. Just set up them near your bird house, turn then on and that’s it ! These devices sends out a high-pitched sound that humans cannot hear but cats and other predators can hear them and the sound will irritate them, keeping them out of your backyard so your visiting birds can nest comfortably and safely. A great way to increase the attractiveness of your birdhouse to the visiting birds!

Post from: How to Build Bird Houses or Buy BirdHouses

More Tips On Keeping Your Bird House Safe

So let’s say you’ve put up your birdhouses and some time later, birds start visiting your birdhouses. They come and they nest in them and bringing their wide spectrum of colors and songs to your normally quiet backyard. Life’s good. Then something start happening, you see cats and squirrels and other predator staring at your birdhouse. Your decorative birdhouse has become a feeding bowl for predators ! Yikes !

In our previous post, we stated that one of the factors that influence birds choosing certain birdhouses to nest in is the element of safety. What can then do to start building a squirrel proof bird house or prevent any predators from attacking our nesting birds in our  decorative birdhouses ?

In the great system of ecology and biodiversity, every species of plants or animals will have another species that feed on it. This is how nature works. Certain species may be food for other species and in doing so, it controls the population and avoids overcrowding. For our species of birds that resides in our wooden birdhouses, the species of animals that preys on them will probably be squirrels, raccoons, cats, wasps and ants. But birds can fly away when they detect a predator coming, can’t they ? Yes, they can. But if the birds are already nesting in your wooden birdhouses, there could be bird eggs and young baby birds which cannot escape from the oncoming predators and usually get eaten up.

However, there are steps we can implement to prevent or minimize such occurances from happening in our birdhouses. In this series, we will take a look at some points on how to make our decorative birdhouses safer for visiting birds to nest in.

Birdhouse Entrance Opening Sizes
The birdhouse opening sizes plays an important, central role in keeping out predators from entering your decorative birdhouses. Whether you are building or buying a decorative birdhouse, besides the birdhouse designs aesthetic factors, you should also know what kind of birds you want to attract to your decorative birdhouses. The birdhouse opening size should only be big enough for the species of birds that you want to attract. Not too big and not too small.
This will require you to have some prior knowledge of the species of bird. You can usually find this information at your local library or you can ask your local pet store for more information about the species of bird you want to attract. For those you who buy birdhouses, and the birdhouse designs that you like have an entrance opening size that is too big and allows for other predators to enter the birdhouse, consider nailing an additional piece of wood at the entrance to minimize the birdhouse entrance opening size.

Birdhouse Perches
Some birdhouses have perches in front of the birdhouse entrance opening to beautify the decorative birdhouse and make it look like a real house.

Perches are not needed for birds to get in and out of the birdhouse. On the contrary, the perches are harmful the birds that are in the birdhouse because it allows the predator to use it to harm the birds inside or prey on the young baby birds and any bird eggs. If you have bought a birdhouse with a perch, you can try to remove the perch to enhance the safety of your birdhouse.

Mounting options for birdhouses
Instead of placing your birdhouses on branches of trees, you can place your wooden birdhouses on metal or PVC poles. These poles usually won’t be found in the local pet store but you can find them instead at your local hardware store. Measure how high you want to place your birdhouse before going to the local hardware store as some of them need to cut the poles to the desired length that you want. Besides mounting your birdhouses on these poles, you should also located them away from the trees and other potential places where the predator can climb on and jump to your birdhouse. To futher deter other  animals from climbing the pole to reach your birdhouse, you may apply something slippery to the pole. Be careful not to choose a toxic substance to apply to the pole. This will keep out snakes and other non flying creatures like squirrels and raccoons from reach your birdhouse.

In the next blog post, we will be looking at more ways to increase the safety of your birdhouses.

Post from: How to Build Bird Houses or Buy BirdHouses

Keeping Your Bird House Safe from Predators

First, we are going to talk about the birdhouses designs itself. There are many different kinds of fancy birdhouses, cute birdhouses and even some see-through birdhouses that comes in all shapes and sizes. How do you choose which design to follow and base your own decorative birdhouses on ? The birdhouses designs choices all
depends on what theme you want your backyard garden to have. It is purely aesthetics for you. Looks aside, most importantly, it should be easy to maintain and blends in nicely with the rest of your home and garden decor. For the birds, what they look for is safety in a birdhouse regardless it is a simple wooden birdhouse or an elaborate decorative birdhouse. Nesting birds will choose a birdhouse which offer them a nice, comfortable shelter where they can get out of the bad weather and strong winds. They will also choose a birdhouse when it thinks it can be a safe enough place to nest their young. This is the one of the foundation if you are going to build a great bird house. The decorative birdhouse should also have ample ventilation and drainage holes to keep the interior dry and well-ventilated. You don’t want to living in a dirty, stuffy messy house right, so does your visiting birds.

Second, to build a great bird house, you need to know where exactly you are going to place the birdhouse in the garden. Many people get stumped
when they think where to place the birdhouse in the garden. The answer to the placement of the birdhouse in the garden depends on what are the
kind of birds you want to attract. For example, for birds species such as the Eastern Bluebird and the Chickadee that prefer open concept birdhouses designs, you can place their birdhouses near trees or near shade so that the temperature doesn’t get too hot in the decorative birdhouses during the day. Ventilation holes will help air circulation in the birdhouse but putting it near shades will reduce the temperature further. If you are thinking of attracting birds that prefer the platform birdhouse,
you should locate the birdhouse near the ground or on walls behind rows of tree shrubs or on fences populated with vines. By having knowledge what is the type of birdhouse designs the birds you want to attract prefers,
you increases the chance of them choosing your birdhouse to nest in. This is another factor on how to build a great birdhouse.

Third, when you want to build a great bird house, make sure the materials you are using are long lasting and strong. For example, if you are building a wooden birdhouse, choose wood that are healthy and can withstand weather elements. Some people prefer see-through birdhouses so they can see exactly what goes on inside the birdhouse. In this case, choose materials that are transparent yet strong enough to withstand the weather elements that occurs in your particular area. You want the birdhouse to be strong and firm and can withstand strong winds and bad weather.
If the birdhouse collapses during bad weather, then the birds inside may be trapped inside.

Post from: How to Build Bird Houses or Buy BirdHouses

Tips on How to Build a Great Bird House

When you are building bird houses with kids, you should take note of some of the materials you should buy before you start work on your birdhouses. Firstly, if you are making wooden birdhouses, make sure the type of wood that you purchase is healthy and suitable for the birds, this will mean that the wood should not have been treated with harmful chemicals which may be toxic to the nesting birds inside. In addition to that, you should also not choose wood that is painted especially on the interior part because the paint which sometimes contains lead may chip off and may be harmful to the birds when ingested especially in baby birds. Safe wood choices for wooden birdhouse will be pine, cedar and cypress. If you want to choose a bird house color, then use only non-toxic paint on the exterior of your wooden birdhouses. In this way, even ordinary wooden birdhouses can become fancy bird houses and unique bird houses. Be sure to also include a roof and hinges on one of the side for opening for easy maintenance.

Metal bird houses are not recommended because the edges on metal sheets can be very sharp and may cut the birds when they are going in and out of your birdhouses. Although a metal bird house may be forms of some very unique bird houses, the metal birdhouses because of its natural inherent metallic properties, traps heat inside your decorative birdhouses and turns it in an oven under an afternoon sun. Can you imagine being trapped in a metal box on a hot sunny afternoon ?

Next, you should include drainage holes in the bottom of your wooden birdhouses. Making small quarter inch holes at each four corners on the floor of your wooden birdhouses will let the trapped water out, helping to keep the birdhouse interior dry. You should have also some holes on the roof if your decorative birdhouses are of a boxed birdhouse designs to allow for ventilation to take place.

If yours is a wooden birdhouse, please ensure that there are no nails or sharp corners pointing out in your birdhouses because the bird may hit the nail or sharp corners and get injured. If you want to attract a certain species of birds to your bird house, you can go to your local library or check out the other articles in this blog for the bird house height placement.

Building cute birdhouses or a wooden birdhouse is both an easy and educational activity which can be enjoyed by you and your kids together. Creating something that is visually pleasing as well as providing a safe shelter for visiting birds is a very rewarding experience.

Post from: How to Build Bird Houses or Buy BirdHouses

Building BirdHouses

I know that some people really want to put up their decorative birdhouse back in their own backyard but are too confused by all those instructions out on the Internet and on birdhouses books that they read. That’s why this resource is set up so that people have clearer picture on what to do with their decorative birdhouses, be it a see-through birdhouse, a victorian birdhouse or wooden birdhouses. The concepts are the same regardless of whichever birdhouse you choose for yourself and your decor.

One of the reason why these people do not want to put up their decorative birdhouses is because they are afraid that they cannot get any birds into their birdhouses, or think that the birds will probably not choose their birdhouse so they don’t even bother trying. The underlying feeling is fear of failure. Now, this is a well documented feeling so I’m not going to dwell much in this blog. One thing I can advise these people is, if what you are doing is right, and you have bought the decorative birdhouse that you like and you have placed it properly, with a proper height, proper dimensions and give it time, the birds will come.

There is no right or wrong time to put up your decorative birdhouses in your backyard. Those cute birdhouses or the wooden birdhouses that you have bought can be put up any time throughout the year. It may not be nesting season for the birds that you want to attract but then you don’t need it to be a nesting season to put up your decorative birdhouses. A bird may use your decorative birdhouse to nest because since its a birdhouse, it provides shelter or a place to get out of the sun or keep away from the rain. If it finds it comfortable and safe enough, it might just decide to use it to nest a new family inside your decorative birdhouses !

One thing to note is that your decorative birdhouses should be preferable set up before the breeding season begin which should range from late summer to early fall. This will give some time for the birds to find your birdhouse and settle in and give them time to adjust to the conditions in the decorative birdhouse. Time is needed for your decorative birdhouses to be well-weathered. This applies to both see-through birdhouses and wooden birdhouses.

Post from: How to Build Bird Houses or Buy BirdHouses

Best time to put up Decorative Birdhouses

As you know that if you have wooden birdhouses before, you can’t really see what’s happening inside, if it is damp or wet or if the ventilation is enough. With a see-through birdhouse, you can easily see exactly what’s happening inside your see-through birdhouse. A see-through birdhouse is a very unique birdhouse in that you don’t see much on them in pet stores.

If you do have a see-through birdhouse, it will be a very exciting experience. Imagine you and your entire family gathering to view the wonders of birds nesting in your very own decorative birdhouses. Most of the see-through birdhouses mounts directly to a window on your home, so everyone can see your nesting birds build a nest inside your see-through birdhouses and care for their young and the first steps of the baby birds. A great educational lesson that cannot be easily read from the books !

Moreover, bird population has been dwindling in the recent years due to pollution and damaging human activities. By teaching your kids in the family about the importance of nature and show them them how to take care of nature, it will cultivate a sense of knowing how important it is to preserve nature. Besides being a great education tool, your see-through birdhouses will also allow the birds to bring life to your house and garden with their color, songs and other comical yet fascinating actions.

Post from: How to Build Bird Houses or Buy BirdHouses

See-Through Birdhouses