- Bird Accessories, Bird Houses, Decorative Bird Houses, Recycled Birdhouses, Uncategorized, Unique Birdhouses, Wood Birdhouse
Even Wood Birdhouses Go Recycled
There is something to be said for weathered wood, it has a character you just don’t see in new construction. Recycled barn wood has become quite popular in many home and garden items. The rustic look has wonderful appeal and blends with many styles of decorating. I remember seeing a barn wood bench in the Sundance catalog years ago that was beautiful, but out of my price range.For the garden, some artists are crafting wood birdhouses from old barn wood and fence posts. Using reclaimed items such as tin, license plates, and even materials from local junk yards, these houses have character beyond compare. Wood birdhouses with clean-outs and ventilation are meant for feathered friends and provide vital nesting and roosting spots.
The Blue Roof Motel shown here is crafted from old barn wood and tin. Twelve cozy compartments each provide a great spot for wrens, finches, chickadees and other small songbirds. Also available in red, this wood birdhouse compliments just about any garden or landscape, and offers birds protection from the elements and predators too. In early spring, any number of the 12 compartments may become the perfect nest site for your feathered friends!
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The Savvy Spiral Tube Bird Feeder
With so many choices in wild bird feeders these days, it’s kinda difficult to decide what type to buy. There are standard hopper feeders, which tend to hold larger capacities, and platform feeders, for offering a variety of foods to birds. Fly-thru feeders are generally platforms with roofs to protect birds and food from the elements. You have suet feeders and meal worm feeders, then of course there are the popular tube feeders.Tube bird feeders are wonderful for attracting many species, but one problem with them is limited perches or feeding ports. They usually allow only a certain number of birds to feed at once. Two, four, maybe six ports on most models. The spiral tube feeders accommodate more birds, as the designs allows for the whole tube to be accessed for food. Birds love to “run” the spiral and it makes for a great show too! These spiral feeders are available for thistle seed, (or nyjer) for feeding finches, peanuts for feeding jays, woodpeckers nuthatches, and for standard seed mixes too. The powder coat construction ensures many seasons of use, by feathered friends and human hosts alike.
And if you’re new to the great hobby of backyard birding, we can’t stress enough the importance of water. This is by far the best attractor for wild birds to your place. Fresh water in a bird bath will entice many more wild birds than just feeders alone. Especially in winter, a heated bath can be a life saver for many feathered friends!
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Entice Birds With Nesting Materials
Most folks start with birdhouses and bird feeders to attract wild birds, and this is the perfect way to explore the great hobby of backyard birding. There are many other ways to increase the number of visitors and the number of species to your yard. Water is the number one element. Many birds who never visit a feeder will frequent a yard that offers a continuous fresh water source like a bird bath. Especially during frigid winters when water sources tend to freeze and become scarce, birds depend on a known spot for fresh water. Our bluebirds even over-wintered here in North Georgia, largely because of the three heated bird baths in the yard. Oh yes, the live mealworms helped too!Many desired songbirds birds (like cardinals and finches) are not cavity-dwellers either, meaning they’ll never use a birdhouse.
Which brings us to yet another feathered friend favorite. Nesting materials are extremely important to birds in early spring. With a severe shortage in natural habitats, many depend on bird-friendly yards for their residence. There are all kinds of kits which offer refills too. This nesting material wreath is one, complete with feathers, cotton fibers, hemp, and raffia. The Bird Nester is a large, cage-like holder for cotton fiber nesting material, and offers refills as well. Even the Hummer Helper, which is nesting material designed specifically for hummingbirds offers refills.Offering wild birds nesting materials in your yard really helps them to thrive and flourish. You can even craft your own materials using dryer lint, pet hair, cotton yarns, and mosses used in decorative floral design. Use a standard suet cage for holding the materials, or a mesh produce bag from the grocery store (like the kind apples come in). Late winter to very early spring is the best time to set them outside for birds. Simply hang from a tree branch, where they’ll be easily spotted, or even from one of the arms on your shepherd’s hook……happy birding!
Birding Tips, Information & News
