Sunday, August 23, 2009

A Flock of New Birdhouses

While on vacation last week I took the opportunity to paint more gourd birdhouses. This time cardinals and American Goldfinches joined the flock as they are some of our favorite year round visitors.

Northern Cardinals are some of the most brilliant birds at our feeders. Two nesting pair live in the thicket at the front of the lawn. They most often feed together one watching over the other as it feeds. They chirp continuously so we always know when to look for them.

The American Goldfinches are like little bits of sunshine. They travel in small flocks. Sometimes I wonder how one thistle feeder can hold them all. They are often called wild canaries while wearing their bright summer plumage. They fade to a dull olive color for the colder months.

Fred and I also made birdhouses out of some vintage Cuckoo clocks that we found At The Warehouse. The mechanisms were beyond repair so we gutted the machinery and made new backs for the soon to be houses. There were ready made holes in the side once the clock innards were gone. We brightened up the clocks with a little Guilders paste and sealed them with the same marine quality Spar Varnish that we use on our gourds.

You can see all of the birdhouses in our etsy store http://www.featherthenest.etsy.com/ or by visiting us weekends 10-4 At The Warehouse 20 Learned St. Albany NY.

No comments:

Post a Comment