Turn The Old Tree In Your Yard Into The Most Enchanting Bird Village

Is an old, dying tree making your property look ugly? These unsightly trees can be expensive to get rid of, but there's a beautiful, eco-friendly solution that your feathered friends will love. Rather than worrying about how much tree removal costs, you can transform the old trunk, branches, or stump into a community home for birds. By using the wood as posts for a collection of birdhouses, you'll create a little village for your flying friends in your own yard. This is a fun and whimsical way to dress up topped trees that gives your outdoor space an enchanted forest aesthetic. Similar to an apartment complex, different birds will have their own houses, all grouped together for an adorable garden feature.

Whether you have a small or large tree, this project can be customized to your old trunk and branches. In fact, this technique has been used on a dying tree in a public park as a functional art installation. The Chicago Tree Project shared the artwork, called "Nestful," featuring many birdhouses of different sizes and shapes affixed to the branches and trunk of a dying 100-year-old oak in Lincoln Park. The art project was intended to accommodate and support local migratory birds. 

Building your own version of this with the dead tree in your yard will not only add a place for birds to rest, but it'll make for lovely decor. Adorning your old tree with various houses should attract more birds to your garden, too.

There are several ways to style and complete this project, depending on the tree you're working with and the look you'd like for your bird village. If you have a topped tree with several trimmed branches, use each one as a post for a birdhouse. Secure the bottom of each birdhouse onto the end of a different branch. Alternatively, attach the houses along the trunk and branches. You might spread out your houses or group a bunch of them together, depending on how many you're working with. For removable, easier-to-clean fixtures, drill hooks into the trunk of the dead tree to conveniently hang your houses.

While colorful, painted houses will make your tree look more vibrant and whimsical, plain wooden birdhouses have a beautiful, minimalist aesthetic. Besides traditional wooden birdhouses, consider incorporating unique DIY options as well. Whether you make or buy your houses, the size of the opening needs to be large enough for your local birds.

Part of creating a bird-friendly garden at home is supplying different resources your feathered friends need. Besides hanging houses, incorporate feeders as well. Adding live plants, such as flowers, around the base of the tree trunk provides natural cover for birds and possibly nectar for pollinators and hummingbirds. If you're working with a shorter trunk or stump, you could set a birdbath or planter on the flat top to further entice the birds to move into your village.