If you find yourself being stuck inside during the cold, winter months, with nothing to do, and you need an idea to help shake the
winter blues, why not take up a great hobby like making
bird houses for Sparrows. Making
bird houses is not only easy it's also fun, and if you don't want to keep and use the
bird houses for yourself, you can give them away as gifts or even make some extra money selling them at craft shows, yard sales or online.
The design for a Sparrow bird house can be as detailed as your imagination, or as simple as a shoebox shape made out of wood, and turned to hang or stand on end. There are just a few things you will need to make Sparrow bird houses; wood, a good weather resistant wood works fine in a size of around 3/4 inch thick. Some people use plywood that's been treated for outdoors use, while others stay away from treated lumber, saying the chemicals can harm the birds, I have made
bird houses from treated plywood for years, and have never seen any harmful effects done to the birds that make their homes in them, the choice of wood is up to you.
You will also need a nice saw to cut the wood with, either a power saw or a good wood cutting hand saw works fine, a vise to hold your wood securely while cutting it, ruler or tape measure to measure your wood pieces, and either your choice of nails, screws or wood glue to secure the pieces of wood together, you will also need either a jigsaw or a hole saw attachment for a drill, to make the entrance hole for the Sparrows.
Cut out and assemble your Sparrow bird house like you are making a narrow shoebox, it should have 4 sides, and a top and bottom, some people make the roof slanted so the rain will easily fall off, while some folks just leave the roofs flat and use a waterproof cover or coating to repel the elements, again the choice is yours on how elaborate you want to make the Sparrow bird houses.
The one thing you should add are a few small holes in the bottom for more ventilation and to allow any rain that enters the entrance hole from a blowing storm, or melting snow, to drain properly. The average size most designers cut the entrance hole depends on the type of Sparrows in their region, you want a hole that's just big enough for an adult Sparrow to enter, and yet stops larger aggressive intruders. Again, you can search the internet for a little more information on the entrance hole sizes.
Once you have your Sparrow house done, you can fasten a wire hanger onto it, or create a pole type hanger, the choice is up to you. You can paint the bird house in any color or style you want. Making Sparrow
bird houses is not just a great hobby for fun and possibly earning some extra money, it's also a great way to help shake the winter blues.
There is a website that describes numerous activities and other methods to help eliminate the Winter Blues, this website is called: Winter Activities - and it may be found at this url: http://www.winter-activities.com
You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter or on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.
Other Articles of Robert Benjamin
On of the favorite live insects enjoyed as a food source for reptiles and amphibians that are kept as pets, is Grasshoppers Another great use for live grasshoppers is as a live bait for fishermen, for catching bass, crappie, and numerous other species of fish
(May 03, 2012)
So, your thinking of getting a Cockatiel to keep as a pet, as far as birds go, you better make sure it really is what you want, in this article I will share some of my personal experiences of being a cockatiel owner in the past The cockatiel is a very hardy bird as it requires no additional heat source or such, in fact it can live comfortably in a home or apartment year around, if the temperature is comfortable for people, it's fine for a cockatiel
(Apr 28, 2012)
Do you remember getting the winter blues as a child I can almost guarantee that you cannot
(Apr 25, 2012)
A lot of people hate the long cold winter months because they say they cannot enjoy one of their favorite spring and summer activities, which is walking I want to say right away, this is crap, there is no reason you cannot walk in the winter just as much as you do at any other time of the year
(Apr 23, 2012)
Why do some folks hate winter time so much Is it the cold, the snow, the icy roads, or is it something else they truly fear, like getting the winter blues because they always think there's nothing to do
(Apr 22, 2012)
Soon the cold and snowy days of winter will be upon us before we know it, it doesn't matter if its spring or summer when your reading this, as the seasons seem to come and go faster each year to me I know a lot of folks seem to get bored and dread the cold winter months and this is something that I have never really experienced, even though I have lived most of my adult life alone, I always find something to do to pass my free time away
(Apr 14, 2012)
Why do some folks hate winter time so much Is it the cold, the snow, the icy roads, or is it something else they truly fear, like getting the winter blues because they always think there's nothing to do
(Apr 13, 2012)
Why do some folks hate winter time so much Is it the cold, the snow, the icy roads, or is it something else they truly fear, like getting the winter blues because they always think there's nothing to do
(Apr 08, 2012)
You probably are dreading the coming winter season like a lot of folks are, and you rightfully have good reason to do so There just is nothing that is as nice as the sunshine and warmth, which we get during the spring and summer months
(Apr 08, 2012)
Oh them cold, snowy winter days, aren't they wonderful Do you find yourself going outside in the snow and having fun or are you one of them folks that sits inside, wishing that spring would come quickly
(Apr 04, 2012)
