DIY Finch Aviary on the Eaves of a House

The house finch is an attractive, small song bird that nests in most man-made structures. This little 6-inch long monogamous bird is particularly fond of nesting under the eaves of houses in suburban gardens. For the DIY enthusiast, building a finch aviary and mounting it will be a relatively easy task. Because of its location though, the structure will need to be relatively small. Fortunately, house and other sparrow species are tiny birds and a pair can easily be housed in a 2-foot-square aviary.

Things You'll Need

  • 24 1-inch by 1-inch by 2-foot lengths of timber
  • Small roll of small aviary mesh, 16-gauge
  • One sheet of sandpaper
  • Heavy duty staple gun with staples
  • Soft baling wire, 2 inches long
  • Wire snippers
  • Screwdriver
  • 24 screws
  • Mortar drill and bits
  • 4 mortar screws
  • 4 plastic wall plugs
  • 2 ladders
  • An assistant
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Instructions

    • 1

      Sand each piece of timber.

    • 2

      Lay four of the 1-by-1-inch by 2-foot lengths of timber on a level piece of lawn and screw these together to form a square-shaped frame.

    • 3

      Repeat with the other 20, 1-by-1-inch by 2-foot lengths of timber, building an additional five frames.

    • 4

      Screw all six frames together to form a box shape.

    • 5

      Cut five pieces of 2-foot-square mesh.

    • 6

      Staple the pieces of mesh onto five of the six frames. Do not attach mesh to the frame panel that will be flush against the wall. Leave a section of mesh loose on either sides of the box shape, so as to allow you access to drill.

    • 7

      Request your assistant to stand on one ladder and hold the aviary frame against the wall, just under the eaves. Fold back the loose mesh on either side panel of the frame and drill through the wood and into the wall, near each of the four corners of the back frame panel, which is flush with the wall.

    • 8

      Remove the aviary frame and place a plastic wall plug into each hole. Request the assistant to reposition the frame and screw this onto the wall.

    • 9

      Secure the loose mesh with heavy duty staples.

    • 10

      Snip open three sides to form a door in the mesh, approximately the size of your flat hand, on the front frame panel. Loop a 2-inch length of the soft baling wire around the bottom of the flap to keep the door open.