ceramic bird houses

Last night I was watching The Antique's Road Show on
PBS channel and someone had a pot that had a hole in the
side and when I saw it I had the idea of using pottery as
bird houses.

I don't personally want any but I thought it was a good
enough idea I wanted to share it.

You could find someone who does welding to build a
stand to fit the shape of the pot or just put it in a tree.

The pots with lids could enable you to clean it out or
add straw for the next years birds.

If you have pots with handles they can be hung from high
branches where cats can't get at them.

Someone might have already thought of this idea but I
didn't want to spend a lot of time looking through old
posts.

A fellow potter has perfected the "bird bottle" which attaches
to a tree. They are exquisite and fetch a fair price. She tells
me her bottles are loosely modeled after those crafted around
two hundred years ago and will withstand weather much better
than wood. She has several in her own back yard. The birds,
or their offspring, return each year to the same one.

I'm sure the same principle can be applied to the bat houses
that are scattered throughout the northwestern US that I've seen.
If a potter were to throw or handbuild a bottle or box and
attach it somehow to a tree with the mouth facing downward,
that would attract bats.

I saw in Costa Rica a bird that wove a sac in which to drop its
eggs. I've thought it would be fun to throw a pot and mimmic
one of those nest sacs and send it to my friend and see if it
could attract that kind of bird.

Diego

"David Croft" wrote in message
...
Last night I was watching The Antique's Road Show on
PBS channel and someone had a pot that had a hole in the
side and when I saw it I had the idea of using pottery as
bird houses.

I don't personally want any but I thought it was a good
enough idea I wanted to share it.

You could find someone who does welding to build a
stand to fit the shape of the pot or just put it in a tree.

The pots with lids could enable you to clean it out or
add straw for the next years birds.

If you have pots with handles they can be hung from high
branches where cats can't get at them.

Someone might have already thought of this idea but I
didn't want to spend a lot of time looking through old
posts.

http://www.goldenlightceramics.com/birdhouses.html
http://mountainartguild.org/dc/
http://www.gardenfrogsandfriends.com/bird%20houses.htm
http://www.birdhouseofcapemay.com/bird-houses.htm
http://www.adirondackreflections.com...ecoratives.htm
This I thought was the best
http://www.gloriasingerpottery.com/gal-bhouse-1.html
"David Croft" wrote in message
...
Last night I was watching The Antique's Road Show on
PBS channel and someone had a pot that had a hole in the
side and when I saw it I had the idea of using pottery as
bird houses.

I don't personally want any but I thought it was a good
enough idea I wanted to share it.

You could find someone who does welding to build a
stand to fit the shape of the pot or just put it in a tree.

The pots with lids could enable you to clean it out or
add straw for the next years birds.

If you have pots with handles they can be hung from high
branches where cats can't get at them.

Someone might have already thought of this idea but I
didn't want to spend a lot of time looking through old
posts.

D Kat wrote:
http://www.goldenlightceramics.com/birdhouses.html
http://mountainartguild.org/dc/
http://www.gardenfrogsandfriends.com/bird%20houses.htm
http://www.birdhouseofcapemay.com/bird-houses.htm
http://www.adirondackreflections.com...ecoratives.htm
This I thought was the best
http://www.gloriasingerpottery.com/gal-bhouse-1.html

Thanks D Kat I'll check it out.
..^ ^
ÖÖ
..

In article , David Croft wrote:
Last night I was watching The Antique's Road Show on
PBS channel and someone had a pot that had a hole in the
side and when I saw it I had the idea of using pottery as
bird houses.


My current teacher showed us how she does bird houses the other day. She
throws a closed form with a squat, spherical body (2-3 inches high, 4-5
inches in diamter). The closed neck of the piece is about 4-5 inches
long before it is looped back on itself to provide a place to hang from
a string.

Once the clay is leather hard, she makes the entry hole and decorates
with stamps and sprigs.

She also makes smaller versions as christmas tree ornaments.


-Steve

On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 22:30:35 -0700, "David Croft"
wrote:

Last night I was watching The Antique's Road Show on
PBS channel and someone had a pot that had a hole in the
side and when I saw it I had the idea of using pottery as
bird houses.

I don't personally want any but I thought it was a good
enough idea I wanted to share it.

You could find someone who does welding to build a
stand to fit the shape of the pot or just put it in a tree.

The pots with lids could enable you to clean it out or
add straw for the next years birds.

If you have pots with handles they can be hung from high
branches where cats can't get at them.

Someone might have already thought of this idea but I
didn't want to spend a lot of time looking through old
posts.



We ought to check this idea out first. Some think that ceramic
birdhouses overheat in the sun, "baking" the baby birds. I can't say
if this is true, but certainly, fired ceramic has little insulation
effect -- i.e. it's cold in the winter and hot in the summer.

Marco

On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 22:30:35 -0700, "David Croft"
wrote:

Last night I was watching The Antique's Road Show on
PBS channel and someone had a pot that had a hole in the
side and when I saw it I had the idea of using pottery as
bird houses.

I don't personally want any but I thought it was a good
enough idea I wanted to share it.



Try putting old teapots, spout facing down for drainage, in your
hedgerows ....... works wonders !!

what a wonderful idea! but what kind of bird looks for a nest right near the
ground? i don't know if we have any like that here! i'm sure the local cat
might like it....

great use of "oooops" tea pots!

steve



Subject: ceramic bird houses
From: AndWhyNot
Date: 1/1/2004 1:08 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id: m

On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 22:30:35 -0700, "David Croft"
wrote:

Last night I was watching The Antique's Road Show on
PBS channel and someone had a pot that had a hole in the
side and when I saw it I had the idea of using pottery as
bird houses.

I don't personally want any but I thought it was a good
enough idea I wanted to share it.



Try putting old teapots, spout facing down for drainage, in your
hedgerows ....... works wonders !!









steve graber

Of course you could hang them from something, attach them to a tree somehow, but
i am not so sure how good an idea ceramic birdhouses really are. When i touch the
pots which are standing in my window, they get incredibly hot in the sun. I am
afraid a bird might build a nest in it and the young will be cooked the next time
the sun shines. Since it is not a natural material for birds, they can't know
that. I would stick with wooden birdhouses.

Monika

Slgraber wrote:

what a wonderful idea! but what kind of bird looks for a nest right near the
ground? i don't know if we have any like that here! i'm sure the local cat
might like it....

great use of "oooops" tea pots!

steve

Subject: ceramic bird houses
From: AndWhyNot
Date: 1/1/2004 1:08 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id: m

On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 22:30:35 -0700, "David Croft"
wrote:

Last night I was watching The Antique's Road Show on
PBS channel and someone had a pot that had a hole in the
side and when I saw it I had the idea of using pottery as
bird houses.

I don't personally want any but I thought it was a good
enough idea I wanted to share it.



Try putting old teapots, spout facing down for drainage, in your
hedgerows ....... works wonders !!








steve graber

--
Monika Schleidt

www.schleidt.org/mskeramik