What materials can I use for my birdhouse? ANYTHING YOU LIKE.
Let your imagination and creativity run wild! Birdhouses can be made of almost anything. The main cautions are not to paint or varnish inside the birdhouse, not to use treated lumber or toxic glues, and, if you are using glass, make it sturdy. With these in mind, some of the materials used last year and in the works this year include:
Prefab birdhouses available at places such as: Lee Valley, Michael’s Dollar Store. Also check Home Hardware or JB Arts for leftover stock.
Untreated wood, metal, sturdy glass,
Textiles: knitted rope thread, fabric, felting, braided fabric, fibre artwork
Natural accessories: pinecones, sticks, driftwood, stones, barnboards, pieces of fencing
Recycled/repurposed items: buttons, picture frames, dried berries, household items such as teapots, jugs, large cans, or cookie tins, tongue depressors, cartons, CD covers, PVC piping, camera cases, ceramics, beer cartons, boots, old license plates, pennies, large balls, corks, watering cans, even used gunshot casings!
AND, if you want to make a birdhouse that looks wonderful but is purely ornamental and not a nesting site, well then the sky absolutely is the limit.
To register your entry for the auction before April 14, please contact Glenda Jones at aljones@xplornet.com or Barbara Carroll at barbaracarroll493@gmail.com . All proceeds from the auction will help fund the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust and the High Lonesome Nature Reserve. (www.mmlt.ca)
