How to Build a Bird House for Blue Jays

Hanging a birdhouse in your yard can be a very rewarding experience if you attract a family of birds. Watching a nest develop, and the birds living in your handmade house, can be highly enjoyable. Blue jay birdhouses are unique in that they are not full enclosures like most birdhouses, because the jays prefer to nest on a covered shelf, with an open front and side.

Things You'll Need

  • 8-inch-wide wood plank--1-inch thick, 26 inches long
  • Circular saw
  • Power drill
  • Screws
  • Screwdriver
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Cut two 8-inch-long pieces of wood, and one 10-inch-long piece of wood.

    • 2

      Set the circular saw to make a 60-degree cut and trim one end of one 8-inch-long piece so that it has a 60-degree bevel.

    • 3

      Drill two holes through the beveled edge of the wood, 2 inches in from each side. The drill should pass through the wood perpendicular to the surface of the beveled edge.

    • 4

      Screw the beveled piece of wood to the non-beveled 8-inch-long piece of wood in an "L" shape. The flat edge of the beveled piece should be laid atop the non-beveled piece flush with its back edge, with the bevel end pointing up; then screw through the non-beveled piece into the beveled piece to secure.

    • 5

      Place the bottom edge of the 10-inch-long piece of wood flush with the beveled edge, and screw in place with screws through the back of the beveled piece. There will now be an angled piece of wood extending over the bottom of the L shape.

    • 6

      Screw the house to a pole or tree, with the beveled piece as the back wall and the angled side as the roof, about 10 to 12 feet off the ground, using a pair of screws through the back piece.