Attract More Birds With BirdHouse Gourds 

Bird house gourds are fun way to attract and enjoy many different types of small birds. Here’s an interesting article reviewing bird house gourds.

Gourd birdhouses are a great way to replace natural habitat for many native songbirds. Many of these types of birds prefer to build their nests in the cavities of trees. In areas where trees are lost due to urban development and logging there are far fewer places for these birds to nest.

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Birds actually will prefer to nest in a gourd over a manufactured birdhouse. The inside of the gourd, if some of the dried material and seeds are left, provides some nesting material and is much more natural than a plastic or resin type birdhouse.

Gourds can make very decorative birdhouses. They can be left natural by just cleaning off the loose skin and sanding the outside to make a very attractive rustic type birdhouse. On the other hand, gourds are very easy to decorate in just about any way that suits your fancy. Many artists love to work with gourds and designs can be handpainted on them, or by using woodburning tools, many beautiful decorations can be added to the gourds.

Birdhouse gourds are really very easy to grow and a lot of fun to decorate. Just one plant can produce 10 to 20 gourds in a nice variety of sizes and shapes. Keep in mind, though, that these are big gourds and grow on a fairly large vine, so you will need to have some space to grow them successfully. They grow quite well up a fence or arbor which would save some ground space.

Gourds are harvested in the fall after the vines have died down. They need to be stored in a dry area and left to finish drying and curing. This usually takes several months and you can tell when they are ready by shaking the gourd. If you can hear dry seeds rattling inside, they are cured and ready to be made into a birdhouse.

For more information on how to finish and decorate your gourds, visit http://www.myprairiegardenhome.com/.

For some unusual, decorated gourd birdhouses visit http://www.darlsprairiecreations.com/.

Author: Darlene Anderson

Darlene Anderson has been gardening and watching birds for many years. She grows birdhouse gourds and makes unique birdhouses on her prairie farm.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darlene_Anderson

Grow Birdhouse Gourds

While you’re planting food and flowers in your garden, why not plant a garden craft, as well? Birdhouse Gourds or Bottle Gourds (Lagenaria siceraria) are one of the thick-skinned gourds that are mainly grown for crafts or decoration.

Bird Lovers 101: A Good House Idea!

I found out that a House Wren is nesting in the gourd. It has a very creative idea for its bird house! It is built by fine sticks, piled on each other. There is also a hollow in the pile, where its eggs and chicks will be.

Birdhouse And Bowl Gourds

This natural birdhouse can last up to 30 years. Learn our easy technique for making birdhouses out of gourds. Purple martins will be flocking to your backyard.

Confessions Of A Compulsive Crafter

I found a few dried gourds last fall at a thrift shop and one of those happened to be a birdhouse gourd. When dried, birdhouse gourds are tough like thin plywood, and are commonly used for birdhouses and other craftiness.

About Drying Bird House Gourds

There is need to be very patient when it concerns drying bird house gourds because this process is a time consuming affair for which there are no shortcuts. It is necessary to ensure that drying bird house gourds is taken seriously.

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Martin gourds and bird houses need to be properly designed for purple martins to prosper. This article reviews what you need to consider for your martin gourds.

Purple Martin Bird House Minimum Requirements

Native Americans were the first humans to attract breeding pairs of Purple Martins using Purple Martin bird houses.

They would use hollowed out gourds hanging from trees to promote nesting. No one truly knows when this practice started, but it is thought that it was done to help the Native Americans control flying pests.

Mating pairs of birds would protect their houses from predators like crows and hawks, which in turn protected the Native Americans’ food crops. They soon found an added advantage to having Purple Martins around was that they consumed large quantities of flying insects. The Native Americans quickly learned that hanging more gourds meant fewer flying insects. Purple Martins started to rely on the artificial bird houses provided by humans and today, the Purple Martins in the eastern area of North America are wholly dependent on martin bird houses for breeding.

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Purple Martin bird houses are made from wood, plastic and metal. There are also natural and plastic gourds used as Purple Martin houses. Regrettably, not all commercially made martin bird houses are properly designed to protect a colony of Purple Martins. Since Purple Martins are completely dependent on nesting sights supplied by humans, it is crucial that the housing provided for nesting satisfy a few minimum requirements.

Minimum Requirements for Purple Martin Bird Houses:

Martin houses should be easily accessible for inspecting nests and performing general maintenance. Climbing up tall ladders is dangerous and tipping houses does not work well. A system that permits the house to be lowered and raised vertically works the best.

The size of the nesting compartment is crucial. Each compartment should be at least 6 inches wide x 5 inches high and 9 inches deep. A larger size is alright, but any thing smaller will not work. A nesting compartment at least 9 inches deep will provide enough room for the family of Purple Martins to escape the reach of flying predators like owls.

White martin bird houses (including gourds) are better than dark colored ones. Research has indicated that white houses are 10 to 15 degrees cooler than dark ones. Houses that get too hot could cause fledglings to jump out of the nest before they are ready.

Nesting compartments should be accessible through hinged or removable panels. As a landlord you’ll have to clean out old nests, perform nest checks, control insect pests, get rid of unwanted pest birds and perform general maintenance.

Proper ventilation is crucial. Several " diameter holes at the top of the nesting compartments will allow for ample air flow. This feature is much more important in the southern breeding areas. Controlling heat in the nesting compartments will actually increase the survival chances of young birds.

Starling Resistant Entrance Holes (SREH’s) are very important to the survival of the Purple Martin colony. Many martin houses are fitted with SREH’s, but if your martin bird house is not, adapters can be bought or made. There are many styles of SREH’s but the height must be precisely 1 3/16 inches high. This is crucial since anything larger and European Starlings will be capable of getting inside and anything smaller will stop the Purple Martins from getting in.

New research has shown that porches inside and outside the compartment are very beneficial. The porches should be at least 3 inches x 3 inches. They should be located no more than 1/8 inches beneath the bottom of the crescent shaped opening. These porches help the Purple Martins negotiate the tighter openings while making it more difficult for European Starlings to get inside.

Purple Martins have several predators but the European Starlings clearly do the most damage. European Starlings were introduced into the U.S. in the 1800’s. The trouble is that the starlings take over the nests of Purple Martins. They are very hostile nesters to the point that they will kill nesting Purple Martins to take over the nest. Since martins only produce one brood per year this is devastating to population levels. If you have starlings nesting in your martin bird houses they must be eliminated. House sparrows are another problem bird that is not native to the U.S. They likewise must to be removed when detected in martin bird houses.

Once you are ready to establish a Purple Martin colony you need to decide on the best location. Purple Martin bird houses should be as far away from trees as possible. A good practice is to keep your martin bird house as far away from trees as possible. If a tree is 50 feet tall the house should be at least 50 feet away from that tree. Tall trees conceal predators that prey on Purple Martins like hawks and owls. Martins are sensitive of this risk and will not nest in a place where they don’t feel safe. The more open the area is around the martin bird house the greater your chances are for attracting a colony of Purple Martins.

Providing a nesting place for a colony of Purple Martins is a big commitment. It demands you, as the landlord, to get involved. You will have to monitor the martin bird house for unwanted nesting competitors, perform routine nest inspections and clean the nesting compartments. Keeping Purple Martin bird houses in your yard takes some work, but it is worthwhile. These gorgeous wild birds are a joy to watch and beneficial to our environment, but they need our help for survival.

Author: Rob Huff

Purple Martins

It was a perfect day to get some more spring chores done outside and so I decided to get my purple martin gourds "furnished" and hung up on the gourd rack. The purple martins have arrived back in Minnesota.

The Purple Martin Connection

Many people spend days carving and curing gourds to hang from wires or mount on poles. The birdhouse manufacturers have also thrown their hats into the ring, producing durable, attractive artificial Purple Martin gourds.

My Purple Martin BLOG

The daily comings and goings of a Purple Martin colony in south florida and information on attracting, housing and caring for purple martins.

Purple Martin Gourds

The large, mansion-like houses, made of wood, plastic, aluminum, or some combination of these, supplanted the natural gourds as the favorites of Purple Martin landlords; but the gourds, like the martins themselves, are making a comeback.

Ten Reasons Why People Fail to Attract Purple Martins

Housing not painted white. Our first couple of years we put up gourd Martin houses, not painted just natural. Finally we painted them white and the Martins did come!!

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Bird houses can be a great way to attract birds to your yard and if you want a unique natural look, the gourd bird houses may be the way to go. The first thing that comes into mind when it comes to creating bird houses is to find the perfect gourd. This can surely help in saving effort and money.

Gourds can be easily found or grown in the garden. Gourds are distinctly identified by their eye-catching colors and markings. They can even be said to resemble alien forms. This happens especially during the late summer and they can be very entertaining to the eyes.

Gourds will normally be something that have to be intentionally grown. To grow one, certain steps have to be taken and regular tending must be done. Apply fertilizer in the soil where you plan to plant the gourd. For a plant grown in the space of the garden, a half dozen seeds should be placed. Then follow properly the directions in the seed packet. Thereafter, the plant should be regularly watered and the fertilizer reapplied every month. For creating bird houses, a large gourd has to be cultivated. This type normally takes 130 days to mature.

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Turning the Gourd into a Bird House

Once you have the right gourd at hand, it can be easily crafted to make a good bird house that you can put in your yard or garden space to attract the birds.

Working with the gourd is relatively easy. It is just like working with the wood. However, doing so will require some tasks to be fulfilled. These steps are necessary to make a bird house successfully out of the gourd.

1. Put hot water with soap in a pail. Get the gourds and soak them. When at least 30 minutes have passed, take out the gourd and clean it.

2. Cleaning the gourd will require the use of a scrub. Do this until the gourd is entirely clean. Just take into account the possibility of discolorations in the gourd. This will not normally take off so do not fret over the stains.

Dry the gourds after cleaning.

3. Select the dried gourds that have the right length for your bird house. a diameter of 8 to 14 inches will be proper enough.

4. Make sure that the walls of the gourds are properly measured so as to make it most comfortable for the birds. It should be at least quarter of an inch thick so as not to make the bird house too warm.

5. Next detail to work on is the hole for the birds to enter. Most of the gourd bird houses are created for martin birds. A hole of two and a half inch are normally sufficient for the martins to enter into.

Drill a hole also at the bottom of the cage for the drainage system.

6. Clean out the insides of the gourd. Scrape out the seeds inside. You can also pour water inside to make sure that the dusts created by drilling are removed.

7. Preserving the gourd is also necessary. Purchase copper sulfate from hardware shops and follow the instructions on how to prepare the mixture. Soak the gourd in the preparation for 15 minutes and let it dry.

Make sure your hands are properly protected with gloves in preparing the mixture.

8. Paint the exteriors of the gourd house. White house paint is normally used to make the bird house to easily attract the birds. Just ensure that no drain holes are left unclogged.

9. Then, make a hole on the top neck of the gourd. This is to give way for the wire that will be used to hang the bird house.

Being closer to the birds is not a difficult task. Again, you only need the gourd at hand and some handy skills. Build a gourd bird house and the birds will come to you.

Author: Lee Dobbins

Lee Dobbins writes for http://birdhouses.garden-g8way.com where you can learn more about bird houses and find out about more about gourd bird houses.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Dobbins

Gourd Bird Houses- A Step-By-Step Guide To Making The Best Gourd

Gourd bird houses are very simple to create. Even small children are capable of making these homes for birds. If you are new to making gourd bird houses, just follow these simple steps and you will soon have your own gourd bird house.

Gourd Bird Houses – How to Make a Gourd Birdhouse

This is to give way for the wire that will be used to hang the bird house. Being closer to the birds is not a difficult task. Again, you only need the gourd at hand and some handy skills. Build a gourd bird house and the birds will come.

Natural Organic Gourd Birdhouse for Wrens And Chickadees

Don’t tell the Chickadees at my house about that myth!! They DO use hanging birdhouses. The birdhouse is 11" long from tip of the stem to bottom. The circumference is 18.5" at the widest part of the gourd.

Organic Natural Gourd Birdhouse

All gourd birdhouses and bird feeders are one of a kind. They cannot be duplicated. Mother earth is the designer of all these beauties.

Organic Natural Wren Gourd Birdhouse

Spring has sprung!! The birds are returning and we must have birdhouses ready for them.This is a wonderful little apple gourd that any Wren will be pleased to see.

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