This birdhouse is currently out of stock.
Dimensions:
Overall: 9” high X 8” wide” X 8” deep
Nesting Floor: 4” X 4”
Hole: 1 ¼” about 6” from the nesting floor.
Wood: Cedar
The pictures in this listing are examples of the Bungalow birdhouse because each birdhouse has a unique white birch bark pattern. In our Etsy shop we have one listing per birdhouse so you can see the exact pattern on the birdhouse you purchase.
This is a functional outdoor birdhouse. It is sized to attract small song birds including chickadees, wrens, finches, and titmouse. The primary feature that attracts birds is the size of the hole. A 1¼” hole will attract birds smaller than sparrows. It’s not that I don’t like sparrows, but I am partial to the smaller song birds.
This house is made from recycled cedar. We have a large arbor in our backyard that needed renovation. We recycled the good parts of the posts and have resawn them to use for this house design. Each house can have different knots, grain, and coloring because of the age and condition of the wood. Since it’s cedar and has already been outside for years, it will continue to last many years.
The house is covered on the front and back with white birch bark. I collect the bark in the forests of northern Wisconsin. I only collect bark from downed trees or trees marked to come down. The bark is attached using exterior polyurethane glue which holds up well in all weather conditions.
The interior of the house is natural and not sealed. The outside is coated with one coat of exterior deck stain and two coats of polyurethane spar varnish. Some purists think the outside of the house should also be natural, but after you spend this much on a birdhouse you do want it to last more than about one season. The white birch has no sealer on it because it would yellow and degrade. The sealer will last a number of years, but I tell people they want to check it when they take it down and decide whether they want to clean the house off and put another coat of varnish on it.
For small song birds you are encouraged to take the house down every year to clean out last year’s nest. Some people are better planners than others, taking it down and checking it out at least once every couple of years is usually what happens. Some birds wont re-use nests year to year. The different song birds also make nests of different material so they also like to start from scratch. It’s also good to check that something else has not moved in like mud wasps or spiders.
I haven’t heard many problems with squirrels chewing on houses since they aren’t feeders, they usually aren’t too interested. I often get sparrows trying to move in and they will try and peck and chew on the holes. They will also try and wedge their way in. Unless they are little and skinny they typically don’t succeed because I put hole extensions on the inside of the hole. This is just a little block of wood that extends the hole about ¾”. It helps deter sparrows, but also blue jays and starlings. The blue jays and starlings can go after eggs or babies. The hold extension might allow them to stick their head in, but because of the extension they are limited as to their ability to reach down into the house.
Clean out is easy through two screws in the bottom and the bottom panel coming off. There are drain holes in the bottom and ventilation holes in the back opposite the opening. The houses hang with copper electrical wire that is bent to fit into two screw eyes; one below the front peak and one on the upper back.
Position the house away from a tree trunk and up at least 6 to 15'. Having the front of the house out of the prevailing wind is good. If that spot is also in the morning sun you'll even make the birds happier. Best time to get houses out is the end of the winter.
Each house comes with a letter explaining a lot of what I’ve already outlined here, plus has all my contact information in case there any questions or problems.
Thanks for taking the time to read this far! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Bungalow White Birch Birdhouse
This item is currently out of stock.