Rustic Bird Houses
So you are looking to put up a
birdhouse, but something about the idea of an ornate house
seems not quite in line with the idea of a natural setting
for the birds in your yard. A fancy Victorian birdhouses is a
beautiful creation, but it may not fit that well with the
natural setting that you would expect to find birds in
normally. If that's how you feel, a rustic birdhouse might be
more in keeping with the type of setting you want in your
yard.
Often these rustic birdhouses are created from all types of
wood, including previously weathered wood from old fences or
farm buildings.
They will take on many styles. Some rustic houses are made
from small sticks or logs to resemble a
log cabin birdhouse,
which reminds us of one of the more rugged and rustic
periods of our nations history. These log homes are
often made from common wood like fir, but another common
approach these days is to create
bamboo birdhouses in the
shape of log cabins. Another popular wood is cedar, it's
durable and great outdoors, and it weathers to that
familiar fine gray when left unfinished. An the birds
are used to an unfinished wood in their natural
settings.
There are other rustic styles like those shaped like Native
American homes. A popular style are those shaped like adobe
homes, often complete with roof ladder, occasionally even
with "landscaping" like a cactus in the front of the house.
There are many birdhouses that might be classified as
"rustic" that wouldn't be considered too simple. Many are
almost full landscapes, and take the form of miniature diners
or hotels, complete with outdoor scenery to finish off the
"rustic" look. Another favorite is the Old Spanish Mission.
The size of most rustic birdhouses make them a good choice
for attracting finches, tree sallows, bluebirds and
nuthatches.