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innovative birdhouse kits for young & old alike
No worries if this one looks a little too mod for your taste, this company offers traditional, and even church birdhouse kits! Supporting a cottage industry right here in Athens, Georgia, Box for the Birds has created some of the most innovative and sturdy birdhouse kits to last for many seasons of successful broods, with minimalist and cool packaging too!Fantastic projects for all ages, these kits require no nails, screws or glue, yet they’re super sturdy. Safe for nestlings and little kids too, they’re way fun to decorate. Box for the Birds provides a fine nest site and swell roosting spot during the “off-season” as well.
Another fresh and innovative idea are the kits created by Tweet Tweet Homes. Recycled plastic, in the most vibrant colors, these birdhouse kits also fit together sans the the tools, nails or glue. Warning: you may need to refer to their directions when assembling this fun puzzle!
Recycled plastics really do help the environment, and many items let you know just how many milk jugs or containers were used in producing that item. Tweet homes are also available in a traditional house shape, and a newer cone shape version too, delivered flat with barely any packaging waste.
Either with w
ood or plastic – half the fun is putting these kinds of bird house kits together, the other half is watching a family being raised and babies when its time to fledge the box! -
fun peanut bird feeders do more than peanuts
Since variety is considered the spice of life, try offering birds something a little more exciting than just plain old seed. You’ll attract a broader range of species in the process too.Peanuts! Jays, Nuthatches, chickadees, woodpeckers and more love peanuts. Shelled or whole, they’re a special treat packed with nutritional value for feathered friends – which makes them a great choice for winter feeding. Birds won’t mind them at all in summer though!
This fun wreath peanut feeder features a mod design resembling an old slinky. In powder coat metal, it won’t rust and squirrels can’t chew through it either. There’s a trick to filling this feeder because it takes two hands, so here’s a quick tip: Sit down, and brace the feeder between your legs. This allows for the two-handed action required for pouring them from the bag, otherwise peanuts end up all over the floor. Been there, and done that!
The cool thing about the wreath, or coil design is the options it affords for your birds. In summer, fruit is a perfect choice to attract migratory birds. Apple, pear, or orange slices, and even grapes are wonderful choices for cat birds, orioles, tanagers, woodpeckers and others.
Early spring is absolutely the best time for offering nesting materials too… and so simple with this peanut bird feeder! Bright cotton yarns, decorative mosses, feathers, and even pet hair are a few favorites that will encourage nest building around the yard. Just fill the wreath, pull some materials through to get started, and hang it from a branch where birds will see it. Don’t pack materials too tightly though. Should rain saturate them, you’ll want enough air to pass through enabling the materials to dry fairly quickly.
Even when using as a peanut feeder, you can still “mix it up” by adding suet balls or suet chunks in with peanuts. Birds will love it, and they’ll be back for more!
By the way, this photo was taken in our backyard, so when it shows up other places… please remember you saw it here first. This is how we ship them, assembled, filled and ready to go, with extra peanuts too!
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Got rat problems? Use seed catchers and quality bird seed
If you’ve ever seen rats crawling around the ground beneath bird feeders, they’re just looking for a meal, even though it’s enough to make your own skin crawl!Spilled seed is a major attractant of rats and other unwanted guests, in rural and especially in urban areas. The first reaction is usually: “Oh no, I have to stop feeding the birds now.” Not true!
There are some fairly simple methods to stopping the madness. One is to use seed catchers or seed trays which prevent spilled seed in the first place. The large platform area of some seed trays will attract new birds who have never used the feeder.
Another way to avoid these unwanted guests while still feeding your birds is to feed a high quality seed. Less expensive seed mixes contain fillers like millet, and finely cracked corn. Birds will continually toss these seeds out in search of the good stuff. So why not just feed the good stuff to start with? Black Oil Sunflower is a great basic seed preferred by many species. An even better choice is the Sunflower Hearts or Meats. There’s absolutely no waste, no shells, no mess. It does cost more, but again… there’s no waste, so it’s almost a wash. Nothing wasted on the ground for scouring rats, opossums, or raccoons, because all of the seed is consumed by your avian amigos!
Suet is another good choice because there’s no waste, no mess. Specialty mixes (doughs) are even meant for summer feeding. Some of the more common, or fat-based suet formulas may sour and turn rancid in summer’s extreme temperatures. But the heat will not affect suet doughs…. and both resident and migratory birds devour this stuff!
Below is a real note from one of our repeat customers, just yesterday. She phoned with some questions and had planned to purchase two seed trays. After speaking with her, the plans changed: (proof positive the above content holds some weight)
“thanks for chatting with me yesterday about seed catchers for my bird feeders. I am going to hold off on buying and change the birdseed instead to shelled sunflower nuts. I did go look outside and indeed there is a lot of millet on the ground, along with sunflower shells. I’m hoping this will work, if not I will order the seed catchers!
Thanks,
Judy”By the way, the seed catcher shown above is adjustable. It fits just about any feeder and comes in two diameters; 16 and 30-inch. The larger “SeedHoop” may even be pole mounted by creating a slit in the center of the tray. They’re versatile, durable, and best of all… they work!
Birding Tips, Information & News
