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Make your own gourd birdhouses ...
Gourd birdhouses are very easy to make and purple martins love them. However, it can take quite a bit of time just to prepare the gourd so that it becomes suitable housing material. Gourd bird houses take a lot of time and patience but the end result is worth it because they are both ecologically correct and inviting to many winged creatures. A special type of gourd is best used to make gourd bird houses. This is officially known as the Mexican bottle gourd but you can find it on the internet simply by searching for 'birdhouse gourd'. The seeds for these gourds are planted in the spring and the gourd is harvested in the fall. The gourds are then cut with the stem on and left to dry in a cool place until they are hard and leathery. Then you simply carve an inch and a half wide hole in the side of the gourd and clean out the seeds and remaining flesh. You then hang it by its stem from an eave or tree limb. Painting gourd bird houses with colourful designs is also an enjoyable hobby. However if you are not artistic or don't have the patience to grow and dry gourds for birds, you can always buy them crafted by artists from a bird house specialty site such as those listed below.
The Bird Shed
The ideal wren or chickadee birdhouses
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