How to Make a Bird House and Bird Feeder

If you are a bird lover and haven’t succeeded in attracting birds to your garden, you just need to focus on creating a great habitat, providing shelter for the birds and feeding ground. Bird houses and bird feeders are very easy to make. The DIY ones will look good enough to persuade some really interesting birds to visit your garden and stay there.

With a little planning and some recycled materials, every morning will be a chirpy experience.

Creating, setting and protecting a bird house
An old wooden box or carton is the best choice for a DIY bird house. Wood does not overheat in summer like metal does. A coat of paint is all that is needed to make it durable and attractive. Of course, using very strong chemical emulsions will give off toxic fumes that may prove fatal for delicate birds and their chicks.
You should cut out a small hole in the front so that the bird has enough space to get in and out easily. It should not be too big otherwise the chicks will turn into a ready meal for prowling cats and mice in the vicinity. You need to be a little vigilant and drive away intruders like mice and squirrels until a bird develops the confidence that your bird house is a safe.

Proper ventilation is essential for a Bird House. Before fixing up the bird house you need to drill some holes on the top and some at the bottom. The bottom ones will keep the bird house drained and clean. The top ones will provide fresh air.

Protecting the bird house from adverse weather conditions is essential. Strong gusts of wind and incessant rain will destroy your little bird-family. Once you have decided where to place the bird house, a flat wooden plank should be fixed on a branch few feet above the nest.

DIY bird feeders
Bird feeders can be created from recycled materials as well. You can use things that you were going to throw away to make bird feeders. The easiest DIY bird feeders to make are:

•  Tray bird feeders: A tray makes a great bird feeder. If you have an old wooden one lying around that would be ideal. If you don’t, you can use one side of an old packaging carton or box as a tray bird feeder. You can just fix it a few feet away from the bird house and place the bird seeds here. This cannot be used where there are squirrels and mice.
•  Cartons: Another material which can be used very easily to make a bird feeder is a discarded tetra pack of juice or milk. Drill two holes at the top and pass a string through it to hang the carton. You can cut out a hole in front just enough for a small bird to pass in and out comfortably. This can be used where there are squirrels too.

If you are a bird lover and want to create a welcoming environment for your beloved feathered friends, these easy-to-make bird houses and feeders will definitely do the trick.