1 Hour Bird Box

I wanted to make a simple and cheap bird box.

The plan was to use recycled materials and off-cuts.

Most importantly it can be made in 1 hour or less.

This bird box is made from a plastic cookie container (NOTE: must have a secure fitting, clip-on lid). A wooden back-stop is added with plastic tubing fixed to it for a perch.

That's all there is to it!

Plastic container with clip-on lid

Plastic tubing

Wood cutting

Spray paint

1 x 6 x 60 mm wood screw

2 x fixing screws

Cordless drill

Hole cutter or Forstner drill

Junior hacksaw

Pedestal drill (optional)

Cut the wood to fit inside the plastic container bottom, then mark the centre of the wood.

Drill a 25 mm hole in the wood and in the bottom of the container (this forms the entry point for the bird).

NOTE: The entrance hole size depends on the species you hope to attract:

- 25 mm for marsh tits.

- 28 mm for great tits, tree sparrows and pied flycatchers.

- 32 mm for house sparrows and nuthatches.

- 45 mm for starlings.

Fit the wood into the bottom of the container (lining-up the entry hole).

Drill a small pilot hole below the entry hole at bottom of the plastic container - and into the wood.

Select a 6 x 60 mm wood screw and cut a piece of plastic tubing long enough to almost cover most of the screw length (approx 50 mm).

Place the screw inside plastic tubing.

Using the pilot hole as a guide, screw the perch into the bottom of the container and into the wood backing.

Now its time to spray paint the completed unit with a colour of your choice (I used black).

I drilled small pilot holes through the lid of the container, then screwed the container lid onto a high point on my house wall.

Note: I also added some drain holes at the bottom of the nest box.

To complete the assembly, I simply clipped the container onto the lid (forming a tight secure fix).

This bird box was completed using recycled materials. It is an extremely simple design and can be made in 1 hour or less …And the birds really seem to enjoy it!