Rustic Bird Houses

Fun, whimsical, useful garden art

Rustic bird houses are not always functional, but they sure are fun! 

You can make a whimsical and imaginative bird house out of bits of recycling, just for the look of it, or make a more serious and realistic bird house from lumber - the decorating of them is the part I enjoy.

If your bird house is meant to be used by our feathered friends, make sure you're attracting the right kind by providing the right sized entrance hole. 

This part is critical for making sure the vulnerable baby birds don't fall prey to squirrels or other birds.

For a long time now, you may have seen specially designed bird houses specifically for bluebirds. 

These gorgeous blue migratory songbirds were almost destined for extinction, but encouraging people to build the exact right type of house for them brought them back from the brink. 

Bluebird houses are often seen quite low down to the ground, hung on fence posts.

Keeping other unwanted tenants out of these specifically designed houses is important. 

For other birds such as purple martins or other swallows, they require a house with a bigger footprint as the babies grow so fast on their diet of insects that they get crowded out and may die before they fledge.

Do your due diligence if you want to attract birds to your bird houses. If you just want a decorative feature with no birds, cover the hole to prevent their access.

Plywood is the perfect material to make bird houses from; it's easy to work with, and very durable.  Leaving the bark on the split lumber of the roof is genius.

Green roofs are all over the place - even on bird houses. Hardy succulents like stonecrop and hens and chicks are perfectly adapted to the conditions at the top.

When your focus is all on the birds and flowers, it's best to make all your accessories totally unique.

Gathering ideas for rustic bird houses is fun and inspiring; make sure you decide ahead of time whether yours will be simply a whimsical piece of garden art, or a real fully functioning bird house - keep the birds safe and happy in your yard.

Get more rustic bird house ideas;