Okay, so I’ve been wanting to attract more birds to my yard, and I figured, why not build some bird feeders and houses? I’m no expert, but I like doing stuff with my hands, so I thought, “Let’s give it a shot!”
First, I gathered some scrap wood I had lying around. Nothing fancy, just some old planks and plywood. I also picked up some basic tools – a hammer, nails, a saw, and some sandpaper. I didn’t want to spend a fortune, so I used what I had.
The Feeder
I started with the feeder. My idea was pretty simple: a basic box with a little roof to keep the rain off the seed. I cut the wood into pieces – a base, four sides, and two roof pieces. I’m not gonna lie, my sawing wasn’t perfect, but hey, it’s for the birds, right?
Then, I nailed the sides to the base, making a box shape. It was a little wobbly at first, but I added some extra nails, and it seemed sturdy enough. Next, I attached the roof pieces, making sure there was a bit of an overhang to protect the seed. I even sanded down some of the rough edges so the birds wouldn’t get splinters. Safety first, even for birds!
- Cut wood for base, sides, and roof.
- Nail sides to base.
- Attach roof pieces.
- Sand rough edges.
The House
The birdhouse was a bit trickier. I wanted to make something a little more, well, house-shaped. I found a simple design online – basically a box with a sloped roof and a hole for the entrance.
Again, I cut the wood according to the design (again, not perfectly). I assembled the box much like the feeder, nailing the sides to the base. The roof was a bit more fiddly, but I managed to get it on there. The hardest part was drilling the entrance hole. I only had a hand drill, and it took some effort, but I finally got it through.
- Cut wood according to house design.
- Assemble box (sides, base, roof).
- Drill entrance hole.
Finally, I placed the feeder and the house in my yard. I filled the feeder with some birdseed I bought at the store, and then I waited. It took a couple of days, but eventually, the birds started coming! It’s pretty cool to see them enjoying something I built with my own hands. It’s not perfect, but it works, and that’s good enough for me…and the birds!
