Archive for the 'Recycled Birdhouses' Category
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!
Cavity dwelling birds face a very sad real estate problem…good homes are not so easy to come by these days. Mostly because of the vast destruction of natural habitat giving way to strip malls, schools, and more subdivisions. But also from the competition of non-native species. Just who brought over those House Sparrows anyway?
An educational and fun way to provide real nest sites for your feathered friends is with birdhouse kits. The standard wooden kits are widely availabl
e, even as bird feeders and bat house kits. Mostly crafted of durable cedar, they’ll provide many seasons of use and enjoyment. Lately, recycled plastics are the new craze in wild bird accessories, and they’re awesome as far as durability. Most are guaranteed to never crack, split or fade, plus they help to keep these plastics out of landfills. No worries of squirrels gnawing on them like traditional wooden bird accessories.
These recycled birdhouse kits have a unique design that’s fun to assemble, for little kids and big kids too. The groovy designs and vibrant colors are just plain fun, and best of all they provide great nesting sites, as well as roosting spots for wild birds. Th
e 1.25″ entrance is perfect for many small to medium-sized birds, and the perch is removable. These recycled plastic birdhouse kits add a splash of color in the yard, and will look great for years too.
Innovative and fun to assemble, these recycled plastic birdhouse kits provide real nest sites for feathered friends. The vibrant color combinations (and patterns too) will have young and old admiring them for their simplicity and charm. No tools are required for assembly, and they 
make great projects for a rainy day at home, and for youth or church groups.
The non-toxic plastic is safe for birds, and ensures many seasons of use and enjoyment. With a 1.25-inch opening, these birdhouse kits are perfect for small to medium size songbirds. The hardest part is picking out the color!
With a severe shortage in natural nesting sites, you can help birds to flourish and thrive in your neck of the woods by providing birdhouses for them to raise their young. Birdhouse kits like these also provide great roosting spots for cold winter nights. Please help house the birds!
For those who may appreciate art, and fancy backyard birding too, there’s good news! The two have merged successfully with imaginative and vibrant creations that are actually meant for feathered friends.
Totally fun and functional unique birdhouses abound, in numerous materials and styles too. Many are crafted with amazing detail in durable materials that will last for years of use and enjoyment.
This fused glass unique birdhouse actually conceals a wooden birdhouse inside. Special silicone is used to fuse the two, allowing for contraction and expansion of the wood. The really cool thing is that many artists are happy to take custom orders, giving you endless and creative choices to suit your tastes.
This architectural birdhouse is handcrafted in durable vinyl, just like the siding on people’s houses, so you know it lasts forever with little to no maintenance. This artist also gives you the option of a bright copper roof or an aged patina copper roof.
Be it whimsical or classic, unique birdhouses will complement your environment while providing much needed nesting sites for wild birds.
…Please help house the birds!
Some birdhouses reserve the name of “ultimate” because of the great features offered. This bluebird house is dubbed the Ultimate Bluebird House with Camera. It’s made from recycled plastic (poly-lumber) that’s guaranteed to never crack, split or fade. The interior bird camera is included with 100 feet of cord that attaches to your computer or television. Complete instructions, stainless steel hardware and mounting screws, with a raised screen floor to reduce blowfly infestation. Watch the nest daily and experience nature’s wonder of hatchlings growing and fledging their nest.
Bird Cams have come a long way in that they are now available at very affordable prices, and easy to install. Some of variations on these cameras include the Timelapse Plant Cam, and a new Camera with flash. A mounting arm for attaching the camera to a feeder pole is also widely used among birders to capture some great activity. Bird Cams make for wonderful and lasting gifts for any backyard enthusiast too.
This Bluebird House by BirdsChoice, is touted as the “Ultimate Recycled Bluebird House with Bird Cam” Its many great features promise a better chance of a strong, and successful brood.
It is constructed of poly-lumber which comes from recycled plastic and milk jugs, and has a lifetime guarantee to never crack, split or fade. Some great features of this bluebird house include a raised screen floor to reduce blowfly infestations, and front wall screen to help chicks climbing to the entrance hole. A predator-resistant entrance and overhang roof help keep chicks safe and dry. Proper vents and drainage holes keep nest dry and cool. Complete with birdhouse cam, all instructions, and 100’ of cord that connects to your television to watch the nest and babies!
Excellent craftsmanship, combined with newer materials such as PVC and recycled plastics ensure products that reputable manufacturers are actually giving guarantees to never crack, split, or fade.
High quality birdhouses and bird feeders that will withstand the roughest winter conditions and still look fantastic!
The decorative bird houses shown above are manufactured on a CNC router with precision quality. In PVC (Vinyl Siding) it’s the same siding that’s used on real houses, so you know these will last just as long as any vinyl siding home! Provide proper nesting sites, grace your property, and house your feather friends in style with high quality, decorative bird houses that are built to last a lifetime!
Great Project Overview for Virtually any Organized Kids’ Group: Doing good in your community!
Birds For Brains How To:
Birds For Brains is such a rewarding program for kids, seniors and coordinators alike (the birds too!). If done right it will not take much funding at all to start and run.
- First Off and Most Importantly the Volunteers- BFB is set up specifically to get kids of any age involved. Daycares, scout groups, 4H, classrooms or any group with kids at any age (or if you just have one child that you would like to get accustomed to doing good for the community.) At least one adult to plan and implement the program is needed or a group of adults such as an Audubon Chapter to oversee the children.
- The Site- The easiest step is to find a place to visit and set up the bird feeders. Nursing or Assisted Living Homes, a retirement home or a single family home with a senior or disabled individual are in every neighborhood and will welcome the program and the enrichment that comes with it.
- Bird Feeders- Many ways to keep the costs down, BFB was initially set up to recycle wood from discarded fence panels or scrap that can be found around town. This idea was thought of not only to recycle and help the environment but also to have another hands on activity for the youth. Any fencing or construction company can direct you to scrap wood that could be used and Google is great to find Do-it-yourself plans to build the feeders.
We have not yet built any feeders for the program because once word got out about the program donations of feeders were given. We immediatley received a couple from the local Audubon Society Chapter and then as we approached Critters Feed and Seed to fill the feeders they to donated many feeders, not to mention the Birdhouse Chick donating 2 large rainbow finch feeders.
- Seed- If you live in a larger community you have a feed store in the area that you can approach. This is great on so many areas, you are starting a relationship with a local company and shopping local (rather than the big box stores), the seed will be of the best quality, and the relationship you start will help the local seed store by spreading the word that they have helped a good cause out and hopefully will attract new business.
Critters Feed and Seed in Moorhead, MN has been a wonderful partner and I cannot thank them enough!! When possible they get ‘sweepings’ from their seed supplier that would otherwise go to waste. This causes some additional work for the supplier and the vendor but when they hear that the seed is going to the Birds For Brains program they will be happy to offer the help. I have to mention that at times ‘sweepings’ are not available and Critters has been more than kind to donate seed off the shelf!
If you do not have a seed store contact a grain elevator, local pet store or any location that offers bird seed. Make sure you explain where the seed is going and the Mission of BFB.
- Visiting the Site- We ask that you stop by once a week or at the very least every other week to fill the feeders, clean the bird baths and spend some time visiting and interacting with the residents. Make sure that the activities coordinator knows when you will be there. Get involved and play games do activities or just visit.
This may be too much of a committment for some, so get a couple families or groups together and take turns at the site. If you have a few get together a once a month committment won’t be any trouble, but most kids that get involved will probably want to do it more often
Bird Feeder and Birdhouse Kits are also an inexpensive option for starting a site in your area.
For more information, please visit 3littlebirdsonline.com website.
Nest Box basics to recycled houses, to deluxe architectural models, Blue Bird Houses come in many shapes and sizes!
Provide bluebirds with their required nest sites and help this iconic species continue to thrive. Competition for these nesting cavities is still fierce, and by putting up blue bird houses, you can encourage them to nest in your yard.
The best houses are not the most expensive, but the ones which are approved by The North American Bluebird Society. They have proper dimensions and drainage, and usually have some type of predator guard around the entrance. Simple nest boxes, can be acquired for as little as $15 to $20. While the more fancy and decorative models range anywhere from $50 to $400 depending on materials used and level of detail. This patina copper top bluebird house is actually hand crafted of PVC, the same vinyl siding on your house! These types of houses will never crack, split or fade, and generally last a lifetime.
Nesting material and bird baths will also encourage bluebirds to take up residence, as well as their favorite food: meal worms!
This is the Totally Green Birdhouse kit and it’s made from 100% recycled paper, that has been laminated into a strong board!
Like traditional wooden birdhouse kits, it attracts wrens, tufted titmice, chickadees and nuthatches. The airy and innovative weatherproof design is totally biodegradable after the nesting season.
It’s fun to assemble, by folding two die-cut pieces of board that fit together ingeniously. Then kids and/or playful adults get to paint and decorate the bird house any way they want. You can be creative, and provide wild birds a much needed nesting site, and shelter at the same time.