I you enjoy birds in the garden, a few birdhouses will help you keep them hanging around after they chow down on the bird seed. A nice house can be very expensive, but if you're handy with a hammer, you can whip one up yourself. I was delighted to see the wonderful new Popular Woodworking book, Birdhouses You Can Build in a Day.

This book has over fifty projects and includes plans for the beginning as well as the experienced woodworker. My favorite project is the log cabin birdhouse for the Eastern Bluebird, but there are also project plans and instructions for building a bat house and a butterfly house. In addition, there are projects for bird baths and bird feeders.

One wonderful feature of this book is that each bird house is made to attract a specific type of bird. The projects are organized alphabetically by bird species, so it is fairly easy to find the house you want to build. You may have a bit of trouble finding the right house for a few species, such as the American Robin, which I would have looked for under Robin, but, overall, it is a nice way to organize the book.

Another nice feature in this book is the informational sidebar for each bird species. There is also a section for each house that tells how to install it to attract the bird species that it is made for. Additional useful information includes construction notes, a section on attracting birds, butterflies, and bats, and a resource section.

Birdhouses You Can Make in a Day is well written, informative, and inspiring. The writers' love of wild birds comes through very clearly in this book. I give it four and 1/2 out of five sunflowers.

About the Book:
Title: Birdhouses You Can Build in a Day
Publisher: Popular Woodworking
Date: 2004
Pages: 128
ISBN: 1-55870-704-2
Cost: 24.99