So, I made a simple, easy, cheap bird house...
Let's hope they like it!
You will need:
- Empty oatmeal container (or cardboard box)
- Decorative paper, paint, stickers, etc. - go wild!
- ~ 1/4" dowel
- Scissors
- Glue
- Wood glue
- Saw, steak knife, or other cutting tool
- Ice pick or something sharp and pointy
- Dryer lint
Small, empty oatmeal container |
Find some pretty paper or paint |
Remove the label |
I chose this paper |
Fit it around the oatmeal container and cut it out. |
Glue it on. Rubber cement is so nostalgic! |
Cut a hole in the lid 1 1/8" (any larger and you'll have other birds sneaking in) |
My nice Olfa circle cutter doesn't go that small, so it's a little jagged, uneven cut. |
Cut out (with my Olfa circle cutter) a top circle |
Remember where the original center was. |
Like a "porthole quilt" design (sort of), you'll open up the paper to the inside of the lid. This will protect the birds from the jagged plastic. |
Glue that paper to the topside of the lid. It should come out like a sun towards the inside of the lid. |
Cut out another circle, same size, and a center circle for it, and glue it to the inner side of the lid. Just to cover the "sun" |
Inside of lid |
So, the circle is not perfectly round, but it's cute! |
Then, with a honkin ice pick, poke a hole in the lid for a perch. A little smaller than a dowel. |
Put some wood glue on a 2 1/2" dowel piece, and snugly fit it into the small hole you made. But make dowel/perch whatever size you want. |
ta da! |
To keep it from rolling, glue two dowels to the underside of the container. |
Put it on a shelf 5-10' high, and wait for the birds to come. |
I also added some dryer lint inside the container to get her started with a nest.
When I put the bird house out, I said, "Oh no! I put the perch in the wrong spot." D'oh! The lid comes off and can be turned around to any position. Silly me!
I hope you and your wrens enjoy their new home!
2 comments:
One of my boys and I just made two, but for bluebirds. Did you get wrens to nest in yours?
We got wrens, but they setup their nest nearby the house I made :). Maybe next year!
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