Making Birdhouses from Gourds

by Yvonne Quarles

The gourd is a member of the squash family.  Hard skinned fruits are produced in many different shapes and sizes.  There are dipper gourds, penguin gourds, Chinese gourds, luffa gourds, pear shaped gourds and cannon ball gourds.  There are martin, birdhouse, bottle, turk's turban and basketball gourds.  The list goes on. 

Advantages of Using Gourds for Birdhouses

Birdhouse gourds are great.  They are actually  cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than a conventional birdhouse made from wood.

The price is right, because you can grow your own.

The cavities are large.

Gourds are lightweight which makes it easier to lower and raise.  Being lightweight enables the house to swing and sway with the wind.  Purple martins like that and most predators do not.

Birdhouse gourds look beautiful.  They can be decorated or left plain.  Very natural appearance which makes it aesthetically pleasing.

Any predators have a hard time holding on to the birdhouse gourd.

DIRECTIONS:

Cut 2 small holes in the top of the gourd for the wire hanger.  I recommend using copper wire.  Hide the twist of the hanger inside of the gourd.  Beads can be added, the wire can be twisted, or just left plain. 

Cut 4 small holes in the bottom of the gourd for drainage.

The opening for the birdhouse will depend on what type of bird you are attracting.   These houses are often used for purple martins, which require a 1 = inch diameter hole.

HINT One hole makes it a birdhouse.  Four holes turn it into a bird feeder.

Make a perch from a stick or a short piece of dowel.  Cut a hole the size of the perch, glue and insert the dowel under each bird entry.

Hang and enjoy your handiwork and the birds! 
 

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Yvonne Quarles © Copyright

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Visit her site and read more of her articles at: Inspiller's Attic

A website is dedicated to providing a resource for interested individuals to rediscover traditional earth-based living, getting back to basics and just enjoying the simple things in life.

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