Bluebird Feeders

Bluebird Feeders Archives

Bluebird House and Bird Feeder Plans: Create a Fun Afternoon Project

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011 at

Birdhouse Plans for Your Neighborhood Bluebirds

Marshall Brain is the real brain behind the incredible information resource
known as HowStuffWorks.com, a great “How To” website. In addition to being

Pair of Western Bluebirds

a former president of a multimillion dollar software company, Marshall is a renowned author and award-winning professor.

In “The Teenager’s Guide to the Real World” and his other books, Marshall demonstrates the rare skill of being able to communicate complex ideas in clear, easy to understand language. Who better to tackle a set of bird house plans and break it down for us?

If you are looking for a great project for a child, then building a bluebird house is your answer. Bluebirds can be lured into your backyard with appetizing mealy worms, fruit, and suet. Use bird feeder plans and save some money by building your own bluebird feeder and bluebird house. A suet bird feeder which has a tray is the perfect way to entice these beautiful birds, and remember to put out fruit scraps when you have them.

What size should your bluebirds’ birdhouse be? That depends, of course, on
the size of your birds. Eastern, Western, and Mountain bluebirds all need a
house with a floor measuring 5×5 inches, a height of 6 to 12 inches, a hole 4-10 inches above the floor, and from 4 to 10 feet above the ground. The hole diameter for Eastern and Western bluebirds should be 1 1/2 inches, while the Mountain Bluebird needs about 1 9/16.

If you are working with children, the careful measurements and cutting

Pair of Eastern Bluebirds

process can take too long, especially if you are meeting with a group of school kids, Boy or Girl Scouts, or other meeting-based groups. This is why Marshall assembled a bluebird house kit and plans. This turns the construction of a birdhouse into an afternoon project – and one kids can be proud of.

Stay tuned for an upcoming post which will tell you what you need to assemble your own bluebird bird house and where to get a set of bird feeder plans and birdhouse plans for the bluebird.

Birdfeeders, Shelters and Baths (The Weekend Workshop Collection)

Bluebird Feeders

Upside Down Suet Bird Feeder Plans Easy to Find?

Monday, March 7th, 2011 at

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Tube Bird Feeders

Sure, Unless You Want the One You Saw In a Picture

The story of my life, you see something you like and you go

Upside Down Suet Bird Feeder Plans

looking for it and you just can’t find it. Regardless, I did find this little set of free plans for an upside suet feeder. It’s a bit late in the season to go on and on about suet feeders, but I just love them and the colorful birds they attract. If you live in the northern states and put your suet feeder into a shady area of the yard this summer, it will probably do just fine. If you live in Florida like I do, you’ll do best if you make a dense suet cake, keep it in the shade as much as possible, and check it periodically to make sure it hasn’t gotten rancid.

Suet feeders are a Godsend to the birds struggling to find food in the winter time up north. Not only does the fat keep the metabolism high in the birds keeping them warm, but it is very nourishing to them as well. Suet is solid white beef fat and you can probably get some from your butcher for little or no cost. I’ll be covering exactly how to make a suet cake in a later article, so for now

Pesky squirrel hanging upside down on a basic caged suet feeder.

Pesky Squirrel Trying to Raid a Basic Suet Feeder

just know that you can make very inexpensive suet cakes for your backyard birds.

The birds that eat suet generally eat insects or worms so the animal fat, suet, attracts them to the feeder. The colorful birds like the cardinal, the blue jay, blue birds, the woodpecker and others like the suet. The pesky little starlings do too, but they don’t

Two little bluebirds at suet bird feeder enjoying the suet cake contained within

Bluebirds at a Basic Caged Suet Feeder

like to hang upside down to eat, hence the need for the upside down suet bird feeder. The cage itself dissuades the starling as well.

The suet bird feeders are almost always a form of cage into which the suet is placed. It is this cage that seems to be the only way to keep the squirrels away. The squirrel has a very difficult time raiding the upside down suet feeders too. The picture of the squirrel on the basic suet feeder cracked me up, so I had to share it with you.

Suet cakes with peanuts or peanut butter work really well to attract the colorful birds as do suet cakes with bird seed within, or just mix it all up because they seem to love it. There are so many more

kinds of suet feeders available, lets just agree to meet again soon so I can share with you the upside down suet feeder as well as the window suet bird feeder.

Birdfeeders, Shelters and Baths (The Weekend Workshop Collection)

Tray bird feeders

Birdfeeders, Shelters and Baths (The Weekend Workshop Collection)

Monday, February 14th, 2011 at

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Tray bird feeders

Birdfeeders, Shelters and Baths (The Weekend Workshop Collection) Easy-to-build projects include tips for providing the proper food and environment for birds and discouraging pests. 129,000 copies in print.