Painting Birdhouses

This month’s playdate is about painting birdhouses. As there is an aviary being constructed here within the office compound and along with that are 10 white-washed bird houses made of plywood, we, as employees of a design studio, have our own creative ideas to turn those plain looking bird houses into something more pleasing to the eye. But before we start splashing in some colors to those birdhouses,we have to know first the do’s and don’ts in painting them. Bird houses are made as temporary shelters for nesting birds. Basically, its function is to protect the fledglings against preys and from changing weather. We’ve learned that on painting bird houses, an ordinary paint that we commonly use in our homes may not be suitable for the birds. Acrylic paints and toxic paints can be poisonous to the birds that will temporarily use the shelter. Water-based latex paints, eco-friendy paints, and natural stains are more advisable to use in coloring the bird house. Painting around the lip of the entrance hole and inside the bird house is also prohibited as the birds inside might peck on these surfaces causing them to ingest paint chips. Also, we have to make sure that the colors we’ll use will blend to its environment to avoid attracting preys. After the discussion, we’ve set another schedule for the actual painting of the birdhouses so that we would have more time to prepare the materials that we’ll be needing. Unfortunately, we have not painted the birdhouses at the appointed scheduled. We’re sad to say that it is because the birds that have occupied the newly-built aviary have died due to unknown reasons. Some says it might be because of the paint that was used in the aviary, while others mentioned that it might be due to drastic weather change. And since the reason of the birds’ death was not clear, we do not want other birds to be at risk of being exposed to paint chemicals, may it be water-based or eco-friendly paints, so we decided to let the bird houses to just remain plain and white-washed. The important thing is, it is safe enough to be a nesting place for the birds. That’s about it for this month! Do watch out for more of our playdates for the coming...

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