Build a Birdhouse!

While it's still bright and sunny out, why not take a break from the air conditioning (don't worry, it'll be hard for me too) and start an outdoor project. If you're not much of a gardening kind of person (like me), building a birdhouse can be an awesome fun project that will leave your fingernails dirt-free. It's a great weekend project for the kids too; get them involved and you'll be having visits from your flying friends in no time. There are lots of fancy bird houses you can buy out there, but there's no satisfaction greater than knowing you've accomplished something finish-to-start. Build a Better Birdhouse by Sunset.com has great tips and instructions and will only cost you $5 to make! If you want to get some more ideas using household items, check out Crafty Bird for creative bird feeders, including one using a coffee can! However, and whichever, you decide to build your birdhouse, make sure you consider enough space for air circulation, drainage, and operable for cleaning and monitoring! Once, you've got your birdhouse finished it's time to start attracting your friendly fliers. Here are some tips to getting your yard to become the most popular bird stop!

• Though sunflower and millet seeds are the most popular feeders, and will attract several seed-eating birds, you should have variety to attract more birds. Project Feederwatch has a great information on feeding birds, and a chart for seed preference for common feeder birds.
• If you've got cats, or other animals, be sure to place your birdhouse in an area far from other foods. Not only can other animals scare off birds, but with food nearby, you might attract insects and bugs too.