Take A Peek At What's Inside Your Birdhouse With A Clever DIY

If you're the kind of person interested in putting a birdhouse in your backyard, it's probably safe to say that you're fascinated with wildlife. A birdhouse is an excellent way to get in touch with nature, connect with your feathered friends, and relax after a long week of human-to-human interaction. Of course, having a birdhouse makes it easier to catch a glimpse of your winged neighbors, though it still leaves you in the dark regarding what's actually going on inside as the creatures are nesting. Luckily, we've got you covered, with a DIY hack to build a simple spy window in your own backyard birdhouse.

With this window installed, you'll soon be able to watch as your local bluebirds, finches, chickadees, and more develop nests and grow from hatchlings to full-on fliers. You'll garner an intimate look into the private habits of birds, offering an exclusive view for budding nature enthusiasts and seasoned wildlife scholars alike. To build your own birdhouse window, you can start with an existing wooden model from the store, or purchase the wooden components and assemble them from scratch. Either way, the construction will mostly follow the same steps that you'd find on a traditional birdhouse build, save for one crucial added component: Plexiglass.

If you are building your birdhouse entirely from the ground up, cedar, pine, and poplar wood are considered to be the best cuts for the job, since they're durable and easy to find. Cedar is especially highlighted by hobbyists due to its natural earthy aroma, which discourages pests from taking up valuable residence. Of course, you can always repurpose scrap wood from other construction projects if you're looking to save on money, just as long as you double-check that there are no toxic additives painted onto the birdhouse.

Any way you slice it, be sure to cut an entrance hole large enough to accommodate your favorite local birds. The Winneshiek County Conservation Board has a nifty guide suitable for wrens, black-capped chickadees, and several other bird species, which calls for a hole roughly one and a quarter inches in diameter. Using this or similar guides for your creation, be prepared to adjust for the addition of the Plexiglass window, by either cutting small slots into the sides of the birdhouse, or omitting one rear wall entirely.

If you go for the slotted method, be sure to measure the two connecting walls and use a saw to cut a small divot where the glass can slide easily into place. If this sounds too tedious for you, you can also drill a few small holes into the Plexiglass itself, and affix the window directly to the wood with a set of screws. Different hobbyists will have different approaches, but the end result should remain the same. Once you're done, feel free to decorate the outside of the structure with non-toxic art supplies, and hang in a place of prominence where you and your loved ones can observe serenely. Before long, birds will be flocking to your cozy birdhouse.