Gold Crest Distributing
Book - Making Bird-Friendly Birdhouses by Melvin "Bird Man Mel" Toellner and Matthew Maguire (Paperback)
Book - Making Bird-Friendly Birdhouses by Melvin "Bird Man Mel" Toellner and Matthew Maguire (Paperback)
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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 begins 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!
From the Back Cover
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 design for pole-mounted birdhouses.
Features:
- Includes identification guide for 28 different common birds including nesting habits and facts, migration maps of North America
- Complete detailed plans for 15 birdhouses designed specifically for over 30 different common backyard birds, owls, and ducks
- Highly detailed plans for each birdhouse include complete tools and materials listing
- Step-by-step instructions with photographs showing the proper cuts, equipment to use, and assembly
- Bonus Projects—Plans for Single and Multi-Chambered Bat Houses
- Bluebird Nest Box
- Chickadee, Nuthatch & Titmouse Nest Box
- House Wrens & Carolina Wrens Nest Box
- Robin, Dove & Phoebe Nest Box
- Northern Flicker Nest Box
- Screech-Owl Nest Box
- Barred Owl Nest Box
- Barn Nest Box
- Purple Martin Nest Box
- Duck House
— Susan Bonfield, Director, Environment for the Americas
"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
About the Author
Mel "Bird Man" Toellner is the semi-retired Founder and Co-Owner of Songbird Essentials and Gold Crest Distributing. He is deeply involved in the wild bird and backyard nature community. His commitment is evident through his service on the National Board of Directors of WBFI, as an original Board Member of the Bring Nature Home–Grow Native Organization in Missouri, and as a dedicated Elder at St. John's Lutheran Church in Mexico, MO, where he humbly acknowledges nature as a divine stress reliever. As the initiator of the Wild Bird Expo and the creative mind behind the TV segment "Your Own Backyard," Toellner has sought to share his passion for nature with a wider audience.
Matthew Maguire is the shop manager for Songbird Essentials, overseeing the manufacturing of 150 different wild bird nest boxes, feeders, and other outdoor nature products. With over 25 years of woodworking experience, he began his journey helping his grandfather in a small basement shop and has since advanced to managing a large-scale manufacturing facility. A 2005 graduate of Mexico High School, Matthew has dedicated a decade to designing and crafting a range of products in the outdoor and wild birding space, including custom furniture pieces. His extensive experience and innovative contributions highlight his commitment to the field.
