My first garden creation

13 years ago

It's a bird perch. After talking to all of you about working with wire, I wanted to get my feet wet with it a little, so I decided to incorporate it into a bird perch I'd been working on.

So far, I haven't caught any birds sitting on it. I've put it in a spot where birds like to sit on my patio chairs. I'm hoping that having this nearby and a little taller will encourage them to sit on the perch instead. We'll see. It was fun to make anyhoo.

Thanks again everyone for all your great suggestions about wire and rebar and rods. I'm looking forward to having more fun with it as I get better with shapes. I've got a big yard to landscape. Stepping stones are next on my list....

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Comments (21)

Purplemoon
13 years ago
That is a BEAUTIFUL design you did. WOW. Nice job!
The birds should love that more than the chairs. How tall did you make it?

Do you mind if I put it in our GJ Bird Inspiration Album?
hugs, Karen

Here is a link that might be useful: For the Birds Inspiration Album
loribee2
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks, Karen! It's about 6' tall (after staking the bottom foot or so in the ground). I think birds are afraid of shiny things, so I'm hoping adding the galvanized wire doesn't backfire on me. And as far as the album, I'd be honored! Thanks for sharing that. Wow, some of those bird houses are amazing. I especially loved "Birdhouse Row". I may have to plagerize it, LOL!
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aka_strawberrygoat
13 years ago
I was wondering if the birds would perch, if the perches were sanded some...
they're weird about what they get their little feet wrapped around..
I sure like it.

in that inspiration album, I adore that log bird bath..and thought it would make an awesome baby cradle, too....

now I gotta go back and see the rest of the photos..
sunnyca_gw
13 years ago
Might try a little peanut butter or apple chunks on the perches. That would get them over there where you want them. Looks very nice, great idea!! Jan
socalliegal
13 years ago
or millet sprays birds go nuts over that stuff!
concretenprimroses
13 years ago
Very pretty!
Kathy
jeannespines
13 years ago
Yes, very pretty! Hope it helps keep bird doo-doo off your patio chairs!

Lots of stepping stones on this GJ site also...do you know about the "search" box up above...type in stepping stones & you'll get hits. TFS your pretty creation! Jeanne S.
chocolateis2b8
13 years ago
I likey, something that fit all too well in my gardens. Nice job.
loribee2
Original Author
13 years ago
Ooh, thanks for all the ideas! What's funny is that we're in the process of relandscaping, so there's not much out there but very weedy grass. I'd put some 6' garden stakes around just to mark where we want to plant trees and the birds immediately adopted them as perches. It will be my luck that the one I made just for them gets ignored. LOL
Calamity_J
13 years ago
Wonderful idea!!! Thanks for posting the pic!!!(and I Love big pics...better to you with my pretty!!!)
chelcass
13 years ago
very nice. We have found with the birdhouses we make that the ones we paint, stain or varnish the birds won't go near for a couple of years. I think it has to do with the smell of the paint, etc. The unfinished ones they use right away. Those arms would make great places to hang windchimes or suncatchers. I just your design.
loribee2
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the heads-up. I think you're right about the scent of the paint. I used a fir strip for this one, but maybe I'll make future perches out of redwood so I won't feel the need to seal the wood. I know they love the stakes in my vegetable garden!
spedigrees z4VT
13 years ago
That's a nice perch. Did you make the carved upright wooden post? It's very pretty.

A couple other ideas to make it more bird-friendly: I'd add perches of varying diameters, since birds of different sizes prefer certain diameter perches to wrap their feet around comfortably. Also be sure the perches are solidly attached and can't turn. (they look like they are attached securely so you probably don't need to worry.)

I hope your feathered friends abandon your patio furniture and start perching on their new roost!
grandmathyme
13 years ago
What a charming idea...one I'm going to outright STEAL! I love them. I think the birds might just be a little intimidated because they're new. I think they have to check things out for a period of time before they trust them.

I put a clear plastic bird feeder on the window just outside my craft room, and it took a couple months before birds were brave enough to try it out. Now, they're so sure of themselves, they perch on the window sill and peck the window when the feeder needs filling!

They'll likely become so popular you'll have to add more perches to your area once the birds get used to them being there and start arguing about who gets to use them.
loribee2
Original Author
13 years ago
LOL, grandmathyme.

Thanks for the tips, Spedigrees! That makes sense, but I doubt I would have thought about it if you hadn't mentioned it. And yes, I made the wooden post. It's just a 1" X 2" fir strip that I took my jigsaw and palm sander to. I've had this idea to make a garden fence out of 1X6s where I use a similar treatment to the boards, stain in various colors and embed the colored beads, maybe drill some holes, etc. I figured I'd test the concept out on a smaller forum first.
luna_llena_feliz
13 years ago
What a clever idea! A great alternative to planting a tree that could end up shading the entire garden. So you embedded the glass globs? I didn't think they looked like they were just glued on. What gauge wire did you use and what did you use to fasten the wire down with? TFS!
marleneann
13 years ago
That is quite something!

I do hope we see more of your work.
loribee2
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks Luna & Marleneann!

Yes, I took a 3/4" drill bit and drilled out an impression in the wood so they would be inset slightly. I thought it would help keep them stuck in the weather. As for the wire, it's 16 gauge that I tacked on by making a little loop on the end and securing it with upholstery tacks. I'm not sure how well the tacks will do in the rain, so I may need to replace them if I start seeing signs of rust. That's the "live and learn" part of creating stuff for the garden, I guess! lol
Kathryn Botard
13 years ago
That is so pretty. Art for birds!
grandmathyme
13 years ago
You don't have to replace the upholstery tacks when they get rusty...most people around here seek out rusty things because we LOVE rust! Just adds to the ambiance!
jeannespines
13 years ago
Took the words right out of my mouth, gr'thyme! LOL! Jeanne S.

My first garden creation

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