Making A Gourd Bird House
A gourd bird house can be a lovely addition to any backyard area. A gourd bird house is also a simple type of bird house that nearly anyone can make. Children can also take part in making these types of houses, though they will need sufficient adult supervision.
Materials
For a gourd bird house, you will need a few tools and materials. First, you will need a large, dried gourd. You will also need exterior spray paint and sealer. The tools you will need are a power drill, a 3/8 drills bit, a scrubbing pad, and an eye screw. Once you collect all of your materials you are on your way to building a gourd bird house.
Making The House
First, you will need to prepare the gourd. It will need to be dried and cleaned. Then you must make sure that the gourd is large enough for birds to nest in. The hole that you drill into it must allow room for the types of birds that you want to attract. Try to avoid using moldy gourds, but if you get one in that condition, you can easily clean it. Make sure the gourd is hard and dry before you begin your gourd bird house.
Next you will need to drill the hole into the gourd. Once that is complete, you will need to clean out the inside of the gourd. It is very important to make sure and wear a mask when drilling into gourds. The mold and seed dust from the gourds can cause respiratory problems if you breathe in too much of the dust. Once you have drilled your large entry hole, make sure to drill three small holes on the bottom in order to allow for water drainage.
The third step is to put the eye screw into the top of the bird house in order to get it ready to hang. The next step is to decorate your gourd. It can be left unpainted, although it still needs to be sealed to protect it from the rain. Painting and sealing it are the last steps you'll need to take. Then all you have to do it hang it and wait for the birds to come.
Making a gourd bird house is simple. And with some adult supervision, you can even get your children involved in helping to make a gourd bird house. Just remember to follow safety instructions in order to make this a happy project.
