Book Review: Builtd-It-Yourself Birdhouses by Chris Peterson

Build-It-Yourself Birdhouses: 25 DIY Birdhouses and Bird Feeders
by Chris Peterson (598.072 Pet)

This book caught my eye on the New Books display recently at the downtown library. I’ve got several bird feeders and birdbaths scattered throughout my yard, but it’s been years since I tried putting up an actual birdhouse. Build-it-Yourself Birdhouses features over 25 “do it yourself” craft projects — mostly birdhouses, but also a bat house and a small selection of bird feeders as well.

After some introductory chapters in which the author gives you general background about how to handle birdhouses, and explains the tools and construction materials you’ll be working with, the lion’s share of this manual is dedicated to a multitude of birdhouse designs. With each design, which are identified by the type of birds they will attract, you get a photo of the finished product, then a step-by-step description of how to cut the wood and assemble the finished product. Targeted birds range from the tiniest of wrens, to owls, kestrels and wood ducks.

Most of the designs look very attractive, and if I had a workshop with lots of power tools, I’d be tempted to try to create some of these. Unfortunately, although the author says you can try to complete any of these projects with a basic handsaw and elbow grease, they are really designed for somebody that has a table saw, miter saw and circular saw at their disposal. If you’ve got such equipment available to you, this is a great book — I suggest giving it a browse for some marvelous ideas. If you don’t have a workshop available, you may wish to look for simpler birdhouse projects than these.

Attractive book, with lots of good ideas, but may be beyond those without access to specialized tools. None-the-less, I liked the book and do recommend it.

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library – Public Service

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