Gourd bird houses?

[leech~~]

Ok wife picked up a few large gourds last summer at a art sale. I guess I'm making bird houses. Never made one before, what size hole to use for birds in the northern burbs?

[Dotch]

I can't say what you might have in the northern burbs but I usually make mine that inch diameter size for house wrens. We have such a problem with house sparrows when using larger holes. I use a hole saw on my drill that quickly cuts a nice smooth round hole then fish most of the seeds and other guts of the gourd out with a sharp object such as you have pictured there. Luckily wrens aren't too fussy. As long as there's room for a few hundred little sticks they're happy.   

[leech~~]

53 minutes ago, Dotch said:

I can't say what you might have in the northern burbs but I usually make mine that inch diameter size for house wrens. We have such a problem with house sparrows when using larger holes. I use a hole saw on my drill that quickly cuts a nice smooth round hole then fish most of the seeds and other guts of the gourd out with a sharp object such as you have pictured there. Luckily wrens aren't too fussy. As long as there's room for a few hundred little sticks they're happy.   

So just a 1" hole? I really would like to keep the Sparrows out as that is what we have most of around here. I'm sure my wife would like some Cardinals or Orioles or something pretty but not sure what they nest in?

[Dotch]

1" hole usually does the trick. Too small for a sparrow just right for wrens. The trouble I've here is the downies or other woodpeckers enlarge the hole after a few years rendering the birdhouse useless. We grow the gourds occasionally so we have a supply for a few years at a time. Cardinals usually build nests in the bushes and arborvitae here anyway and orioles make those big pouch type nests hung here usually in cottonwoods, basswood or maples. When the female orioles arrive I start putting pieces of string out about 8" - 10" long for them as the females are the nest builders. Males sing and look pretty while the females work. Gotta love a system like that. 

[delcecchi]

3 hours ago, leech~~ said:

So just a 1" hole? I really would like to keep the Sparrows out as that is what we have most of around here. I'm sure my wife would like some Cardinals or Orioles or something pretty but not sure what they nest in?

Orioles make a bag looking thing that hangs from a branch typically way up in the top of a big tree.  No idea about cardinals.

[eyeguy 54]

from last year.  second year the wrens built in the owl. lol hole was made by downys quite a while ago.  

[Dotch]

Now THAT is hilarious! 

[leech~~]

3 hours ago, eyeguy 54 said:

from last year.  second year the wrens built in the owl. lol hole was made by downys quite a while ago.

 

Ha, I had one of those under my boat lift top to keep birds out. Didn't do a thing now I wish I would have kept it to make a bird house out of it.

[RebelSS]

LOL The only thing those owls are good for are decorations in the Walmart garden center. 

[smurfy]

4 hours ago, RebelSS said:

LOL The only thing those owls are good for are decorations in the Walmart garden center. 

I wouldn't know.......I boycott wallyworld!!!!!!!!!

my mom has all kinds of these gourd birdhouses. they aren't homemade but boughten ones made of, well not even sure, they look like some sort of plastic.

she has them for purple matrins.......them dive bombing little som of birches!!!!!!!  she is a purple martin phanatic!!!!!!

[leech~~]

Well finally got the gourds sanded, primed and painted. Used a few cans of spray paint left over from a few old projects. Did one small hole for small birds and one with a bigger hole for bigger birds. I'm sure I'll end up with Sparrows anyway.

[smurfy]

NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dotch]

Approved by American Chiropractic! 

[smurfy]

1 hour ago, Dotch said:

Approved by American Chiropractic! 

birds may need it if that paint is lead based or some other toxic substance!!!!!!!!!!