Easy Birdhouses & Feeders: Simple Projects to Attract & Retain the Birds You Want (Birdwatcher's Digest)

Building birdhouses is yet another way to enjoy the birds in our backyard, and author Michael Berger explains in his book Easy Birdhouses & Feeders that you don't need a lot of tools or advanced equipment to create useful shelters for our avian friends. Here you'll learn how to make and install a simple nesting birdhouse out of a flowerpot.

Flower Pot Nesting House Notice the groove in the bottom of the wood semicircular front that allows water to drain from the b
View larger Flowerpot Nesting House

Birds are ingenious little creatures, and many are not picky about what they build a house in. I've seen wrens build houses in discarded watering cans, robins on top of old wheelbarrows, and sparrows just about anywhere you'd rather they didn't. This house takes advantage of that tendency and can be used by a variety of small songbird species. Consisting of nothing more than a clay flowerpot and a semicircle of wood, the flowerpot house is extremely easy to build and provides a nice bit of shelter when tucked into a tree's forking branches or mounted in any sheltered location. Note: If you live in a region or neighborhood where predation is a concern, incorporate a suitable predator guard into your plans.

Birdhouse Placement

When mounting the birdhouse, you can use a wood screw and a large fender washer driven through the drainage hole at the base of the pot (which now serves as the back of the house). Tools, Hardware, and Supplies You'll Need Jigsaw Round file 6½"-dia. clay flower pot 6"-dia. wood circle (from scrap), cut in half Construction adhesive or silicone caulk 1" or larger fender washer and 3" exterior screw

Building the Birdhouse

1. Measure the inside diameter of the opening of your flowerpot; then draw a circle of that diameter on a scrap of cedar and use your jigsaw to cut it out. For a 6½"-dia. flowerpot like I used, your circle should be roughly 6" in diameter. 2. Cut the wood circle in half; then use a round file to rasp a drain hole along the bottom curve of the semicircle. 3. Use silicone caulk or construction adhesive to glue the wood semicircle into the opening of the flowerpot. 4. To mount the flowerpot birdhouse on a tree trunk, slide a 1" or larger fender washer over a 3" screw; then drive the screw through the drainage hole in the bottom of the flowerpot and into the tree.