Bird House Christmas Presents

[Tom Hamilton]

Hi Creekers:

My 8 year old granddaughter and I want to make her two younger sisters a couple of birdhouses for Christmas presents. This will introduce her to "shoptime", tools, safety etc.

There are a couple of dozen books on building birdhouses available but I thought tapping into this mother-lode of knowledge before purchasing books blindly a good plan.

So, do y'all have any recommendations on books, specific birdhouse plans, tips for teaching and working with a young woodworker, etc. :)

I suspect we would steer toward a fairly simple plan to start and over the years, hopefully, move to the more complicated.

I look forward to your recommendations.

Thanks, Tom Hamilton

[Jim Dunn]

Why don't you go to your, or for that matter, any Natural Resourses web site. They have vast numbers of bird house plans and there free. The Missouri web site is great for this. And small houses, for wrens and blue birds are great for kids.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I never go by plans...made these back in the 90's from scraps...

[Rod Torgeson]

Tom....A good book that I have and think is informative is "The complete birdhouse book" by Donald and Lillian Stokes. It gives the recommended dimensions for birdhouses for several different species of birds. Shows you how to install predator baffles. It also shows you how to build a bird house and how and where to mount it. Hope this helps.

[Charles Wade]

Tom, I organize volunteers to cut bird house kits (hundred or so per year) from salvaged wood, the help school children and others assemble these. We normally predrill the kits and use screws and exterior glue in assembly. I've found screws/battery powered drills easier to deal with than hammers and nails with small children. Children as young as 4 are happy pulling the trigger of a drill if an assistant holds it, and they get off on wearing safety glasses. I've rarely had pre-teens involved in making the kits except for running a drill press (with adult supervision - drilling the screw holes). If you wish, I'll send you a private email with an attachment of dimensions plus other information we use in charity work where we help people assemble houses for charitable donations. Here are some generally useful websites:

http://www.bygpub.com/bluebird/
Excellent website on birds and birding, including birdhouse specifications (dimensions, entrance hole sizes, etc.), free plans on birdhouses for kids to assemble, links to other web sites, a chat room, and a newsletter.

http://www.birding.about.com/
Plans for a bluebird house with good discussions on building these with groups such as scouts. Useful information on practical aspects of assembling birdhouses. The dimensions could easily be altered for other bird species

http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/tools/ndblinds/ndblinds.htm
Specifications and discussion about nest boxes for many types of birds

You might also contact the National Audubon Society in your area- -they can tell you what birds you might attract locally and can offer lots of information for your daughter and her friends.

If you utilize the above sites, you'lll get the essentials. The inner dimensions of the house, the hole size (large enough just for the species you want to attract), and the height of the hole above the floor are the important parameters in building a next box.

good luck. chuck

[Tom Hamilton]

Thanks for the suggestions and guidance. I knew the river of knowledge and spirit of helpfulness ran deep in the Creek and I am not disappointed. :)

Madeline and I will head down the birdhouse trail. Pictures to follow! :D

Thanks, TJH

[Mike Stanton]

This is a plan I used to make bird houses for a kids clinc last year. I made them in kit form drill all nail holes and for screws for the bottom and put vent holes also. I can privite message or email it to you if you would like it bigger. Mike