If you love to attract birds to your back yard, there’s no need to run out and buy a birdhouse, there’s lots of birdhouses you can make yourself. One easy birdhouse to make is fashioned from a large coffee can.
Wash the coffee can and lid well, when empty, and remove the label. Use a hammer and nail to punch a hole in the top of the coffee can. Cut a length of fishing twine and fold it in half. Pass the two ends of the twine through the hole of the can, from the outside to the inside. Tie several knots in the twine to ensure the twine stays put. Glue the knot to the underside of the hole. The loop above the can will be used to slide over a branch and hang the birdhouse.
Purchase long, slender wooden dowels to add to the can. Glue the dowels onto the can, covering the entire outer portion. Paint if desired. Or, use paints to decorate the can any way you want. Other things you can use to cover the can are foam sheets or even vinyl.
Lay the lid flat on a table and draw a hole, in the center, large enough to allow entrance of an average-size bird. Cut the hole out and paint the lid. Cut a smaller hole just below the large one. Glue a small dowel piece into the hole. The bird can use this smaller dowel to perch on the birdhouse.
Remove the lid and add bird seed to the can. Just add enough seed to cover the bottom of the coffee can, without allowing the seed to spill out of the hole. Replace the lid and hang the bird feeder outside.
You don’t necessarily have to use a coffee can to make the bird feeder. Most any can will do – and of course, the smaller the can, the smaller the birdhouse. If the can doesn’t have a clear plastic lid you can make a lid by cutting a circle from a sheet of foam and gluing it onto the open end of the can.
Try different versions of the birdhouse: glue twigs onto the outer part of the can rather than dowels. Or, use pieces of bark, mulch-type wood pieces, or even Spanish moss. Instead of a dowel as a perch you can also use a popsicle stick or tree branch.
The coffee can birdhouse is so easy to make and is the perfect gift for bird lovers or just to use in your own backyard. It’s not difficult to refill the birdseed. Just use a bendable funnel to pour more seed into the can. Shake the can to scatter the seed across the bottom.
You can make a mini version, to set on a shelf, by starting with a soup can and using the foam for a lid. Drill or punch a hole in the underside of the can to place a dowel. Glue the dowel onto a square of wood to stand. Place a small craft bird on the perch.
Reference:
- Purchase dowels or Fun Foam
