Threads 43: Think spring. Make a wren bird house!

This dear little wren bird house was shown to me by a student, Diane Macomber, many years ago. She even knew of a friend whose little house had been occupied for three years in a row.

She used round reed for the basket and long pine needles for the thatch. I will include her directions for round reed, but it can equally be made with fine willow

Materials

If you are using round reed I suggest you dye it a light brown color. You can use strong tea or coffee!

# 5 round reed.Cut 6 X 36'" for stakes.

#2 round reed for weaving.

Thin brown string, raffia.

6 double handfuls of long pine needles.

(Optional) Mylar fishing line.

METHOD

Alternate three stakes over three stakes and with a folded over weaver pair out dividing the stakes into singles. Slightly shape the base, and continue weaving up the sides until it measures 5" high.

To make the doorway, see the diagram below. Cut off one of the weavers and select the best doorway exactly one inch wide. This is very important as our bird friends are very fussy about the size of that entrance, and it keeps out larger birds.

Now weave backwards and forwards with single weave for one inch, making sure to maintain the one inch width. Now continue weaving around the nest for another 4 inches.

THATCHING

Soak the pine needles overnight or make sure they are pliable. Using a 48" piece of damp string, loop it behind a stake.

This next part is a bit tricky to describe in  For the first round, add a bundle of pine needles about half an inch thick around the stake and tie it in place with a square knot. Then double a bunch of pine needles over on itself (not round a stake) and tie that with a square knot. Continue this way all around, one bundle wrapped around a stake and one bundle in between. See diagram. Finish by tying the string round the first bundle and cut off ends.

The bundles should be sized so that they do not push the stakes further apart or pull them closer together in this first row. For the second row tie a bunch of pine needles round each stake securing with square knots, no extra bundles in between.

For the third row, set the bird house to one side and make a hula skirt of 12 neat bundles of 20 pine needle sheaths tied side by side leaving 6 inches of string at either end for tying together later.

Finish by making a strong braid of raffia and string and fishing line 18 inches long and tie it firmly in a loop; this will be used for hanging up the house. Insert this loop with the knots down between the stake, six on either side. Criss cross the stakes ,wrap a string around them twice and tie securely. Pull up loop. Then place the skirt around the roof and cross it's tie strings and pass them under the skirts pine needle bundles and tie them in a square knot on the opposite side. For extra security wrap a piece of twine twice around top thatch and tie tightly.

Cut back thatch to reveal the doorway and trim off any extra shaggy pine needles.

In the spring, hang the house under a branch about 8 feet above ground level where it will get filtered sunlight for part of the day, Test hanger for strength each new season.