BUILD A ONE-BOARD BLUEBIRD HOUSE Here ’ s a fun , inexpensive winter project that will attract bluebirds in the spring !
Bluebirds are beautiful , gentle creatures with a melodic song , and they will nest in man-made boxes . Build your one-board bluebird house over the winter and have it up in your yard before early March . Then see how quickly a bluebird finds it and builds a nest in it !
It ’ s a lot easier than you may think to build a home for beautiful bluebirds . Our Park Manager , Jim Holtsclaw , has put together these instructions . You will have enough supplies to build two birdhouses .
YOU ’ LL NEED :
• One 1 ” x6 ” board , 8 feet long
• Short round wooden dowel of a diameter that your fingers can grip and twist
• 1-5 / 8 ” exterior wood screws ( 18 screws )
• Screwdriver
• 2 ” finishing nails ( 4 nails )
• Hammer
• Hand saw , table saw , or miter saw
• Drill with a 1½ ” spade bit , a 1 / 8 ” straight bit , and a 1 / 16 ” straight bit
• Tape measure
• Straight edge
• Pencil
LET ’ S BEGIN ! 1 . Using a tape measure , straight edge , and pencil , measure and mark the 8-foot-long 1 ” x6 ” board as illustrated below . See image 1 .
2 . Using a hand saw , table saw , or miter saw , cut the 8-foot-long 1 ” x6 ” board into the pieces that you ’ ve marked . Trim the corners off the floor pieces to allow for drainage and ventilation . Each piece will end up with the dimensions as seen to the right . See image 2 .
3 . Take the front piece and lay it down in portrait orientation , with the short sides at the top and bottom and the longer sides to your left and right . Using a tape measure and a pencil , mark a
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