Introduction: Bird Paradise: Make an Ugly Stump Something You're Proud Of
I have started making a bird paradise and I have seen that the feathered ones are taking a liking to this new project of mine. The intent I have with this is to be able to look out the window and see birds feeding on my feeders and living in the houses. I have a average sized yard for somebody in the mountains and I have taken a look at the amount of food I have on my yard so I plan to only add 1 or 2 more houses to prevent conflict between birds. This has a blackberry bush growing out of it and some very small flower sprouts jumping out of the stump. I also plan to add a hummingbird feeder. A vine will soon grow up the side of this masterpiece. It will be a beauty.
Since it doesn't look like I need to put many steps on this I decided to do it in two or three easy steps!!
!!Follow for more backyard projects!!
Since it doesn't look like I need to put many steps on this I decided to do it in two or three easy steps!!
!!Follow for more backyard projects!!
Step 1: Plants
You will need a blackberry bush to help you feed those families of birds
One vine to add some green
Wild flowers (just so the birds feel they are still in the wild)
Yes, it doesn't look like enough. But it is, trust me. Also if you don't have a tree right behind the stump a 7' or 8' pole would work well.
Step 2: Construction
The birdhouses are pretty straight forward. You can just search Instructables or Google it to see which one you would like. When you search for a birdhouse make sure that the bird it is made for is in your area.
Ok, now to see how many birdhouses you could have. Now, I am only adding three birdhouses but I can add them to my area because I have a blackberry bush on the stump and a blackberry bush 20 feet away. Sunflowers are also in the garden and I have that feeder on the stump. To be safe, having three sources of food for every birdhouse should avoid conflict between birds. If you have a bird like a falcon or something similar it would be able to go far distances to feed. !WARNING!Falcons may eat smaller birds!
The support for the vine to climb up is very simple. It is three sticks and a fourth one weaved between them.
The stone head is completely optional. But it is simple to make, just hammer away at little pieces until it is a good shape
I invented the bird feeder. From a side view it looks like a stair shape. The top platform it a flat piece of wood that has 3/4 in sidings to keep the bird feed in it. The bottom tray is a flat piece of wood i planned to put a birdbath on but a bowl shaped piece of foil works great for a sunflower holder.
The decorative rocks work up the indentations of the stump.
Step 3: Pond and Earth Shelves
The pond is very simple. Dig out a hole the size you want the pond and put a trash bag in it so it will hold water, then put rocks on top of it to cover it up. The purpose of this it to be a kind of birdbath and provide fresh water for the birds, and perhaps make it a nicer environment.
The earth shelves are made from dead grass wedged between the pieces of the stump and it has bark as a roof type thing. These could be used to grow plant or I could put bird food on them and use them as feeders. When I made them I didn't really know what I was going to do with these things but I thought of the possibilities.
Also around this area flowers would look great!
Step 4: Any More Things?
Does anybody know anything I could add to this Bird Paradise? Please Comment!!
I REALLY would like to win the Shopbot or win second prize. Either one of them could help me finish so many projects! I promise if i win any prize at all i will make an Instructable on making a heated dome bird feeder for the small birds that refuse to leave for the winter. It will even be semi open so they can look around and feel safe.