Third Annual Birdhouse Build

It might not feel much like spring yet, but Gardener Fred knows that its nearly time for our local wrens and chickadees to make their way back to Crown Hill.

On Sunday, Holman Grove rang with the sounds of hand saws and hammers as neighbors, volunteers, several kids, and a dog named Jojo got to work building birdhouses. Gardeners Fred and Elizabeth had prepared for the event by borrowing tools and collecting a stack of reclaimed fence wood- some of it already decorated with a frosting of moss.

Gardener Fred, Jojo the dog, and neighbors from Crown Hill village building birdhouses for Chickadees.

“It’s not about what we like,” Fred said, explaining why the reclaimed wood was perfect for this job, “It’s what the birds like.”

What the birds like, Fred told us, is a sturdy box, but one that still lets some air in. A box that’s big enough to fluff a nest, but small enough to keep warm. A box that blends in with its surroundings, and that has a hole big enough to admit a chickadee but small enough to turn away the hungry beak of a hawk.

There was talk and laughter, hot chocolate and dog biscuits, and in the end, many birds have brand new homes waiting for them.

If you missed the event, there’s still time to build your own birdhouse. All you need is a length of old wood (not particle board), a hand saw, a hammer, some nails, and a drill with a 1 and 1/8” hole punch.

Just follow these plans and don’t get too caught up in the details. The birds are going to like it just fine.