Build birdhouses that your backyard birds will love! 15 projects and patterns for woodworkers to make practical birdhouses, bat houses, nest boxes, and more - Step-by-step instructions with full color photos and helpful tips to constructing safe, useful nest boxes - Right-sizing a birdhouse , the size of the opening, when to add a perch, and what color to use to make the right birdhouse for the right bird - Create a haven for birds in your outdoor space, with high-quality plans, colored distribution charts, mounting details, and more As popular as birdhouses are, many are designed with aesthetics in mind, rather than the bird's preferences, needs, and safety. Not so for the projects in Making Bird-Friendly Birdhouses ! Inside this book, lifelong birder Mel "Bird Man Mel" Toellner and pro woodworker Matt Maguire walk you step-by-step through more than 15 projects for safe birdhouses that birds find conducive to their natural nesting habitats. The book beings with a comprehensive introduction on why birdhouses are so important, and why each birdhouse should be created with a specific bird in mind, such as bluebirds, wrens, chickadees, or owls. With additional sections on distribution maps, detailed plans, mounting instructions, habitat competition, and tips on attracting birds to your yard, it has everything you need to create a successful backyard haven for your winged friends. Projects include: Bluebird & Tree Swallow Nest Box - Chickadee, Nuthatch & Titmouse Nest Box - House Wren & Bewick's Wren Nest Box - Carolina Wren Nest Box - Robin, Dove & Phoebe Nesting Shelves - Flicker Woodpecker Nest Box - Bat House (Single-Chambered) - Bat House (Multi-Chambered) - Screech Owl Nest Box - Barred Owl Nest Box - Barn Owl Nest Box - Purple Martin House - Duck House, Pole & Baffle - Winter Roost Author Mel Toellner, founder of Gold Crest Distributing, one of the major suppliers for Wild Birds Unlimited, is known as "Bird Man Mel." He is well known within the industry for his bird passion and bird education. Create homes that the birds in your backyard will use and appreciate, with Making Bird-Friendly Birdhouses ! This book comes with easy-to-follow tips on building habitats for common bird species, suggestions for how children might participate, and safety tips when making the birdhouses. An excellent introduction and first stop for families and individuals interested in becoming bird watchers or at-home environmentalists. Highly recommended. --Library Journal Making Bird-Friendly Birdhouses is a comprehensive guide on how your home address can also become the home address for birds. Use the book's great tips to attract your new tenants and then sit back and enjoy the beauty of nature at your doorstep. - Bryan Lenz, Ph.D., American Bird Conservancy Building or even purchasing the correct birdhouse is just the first step in attracting birds to your yard. What about placement, improving nearby habitat, birdhouse maintenance, or even use during the winter? "Bird Man Mel" and Matthew Maguire answer all these questions, and more in just one book! - Bill Wees, Backyard Bird Watcher, Woodworking Hobbyist, Member of the Columbia Audubon Society Enjoy projects? Love birds? This is the book for you. Learn, build, to entice birds near to enjoy nature's offerings in your own backyard. - Bob Lusk, Editor, Pond Boss magazine Immerse yourself in the captivating world of nesting birds with this extensive guide to crafting birdhouses. Elevating your enthusiasm for the next DIY project, the book not only furnishes essential details for creating an ideal nesting haven for our feathered companions, but also shares a wealth of knowledge about how to attract them to your yard. - Susan Bonfield, Director, Environment for the Americas Putting out birdhouses is a great way to enhance habitat in your neighborhood. Matt and Mel's book will show you step-by-step the right way to build and mount nesting boxes for native cavity nesting species from bluebirds and chickadees to wood ducks and owls. - David Mizejewski, naturalist at the National Wildlife Federation, naturalist.nwf.org Expert Advice on Creating Safe and Welcoming Birdhouses When it comes to attracting and safely harboring birds, mindful attention must be made to ensure you have the right structure to attract birds native to your area. Although birdhouses can be purchased in a multitude of sizes, colors, and shapes, many are designed to be ornamental versus functional. Birding expert Melvin Toellner and professional woodworker Matthew Maguire share their decades of combined expertise to deliver a comprehensive instructional guide with birdhouse designs that mimic actual nesting habits found in nature. Each house is designed with a thorough understanding of the shape and size of the structure, the size and placement of the entrance, and how and where to locate each birdhouse to increase your chance of providing safe and inviting shelters, including a protective baffle d