HOUSE FINCH castle

All the projects in this book are meant to spark your imagination and this one is no exception. Build the castle with a drawbridge or moat if you like; the details are up to you. Have fun!

Mount the castle 8′ to 12′ high on a pole, a fence or the side of a tree. The illustration shows windows and a gate, but you can paint your castle any way you like.

HOUSE FINCH

The house finch was originally a bird of the southwestern United States and Mexico. In 1940, a small number were turned loose on Long Island, New York, and by 1990, they had spread across the entire United States and southern Canada.

Adult males have bright red crowns, breasts and rumps. Interestingly, males get their red color from the pigment in the food they eat. Females are brown and striped. Females prefer to mate with the reddest male they can find.

House finches eat insects, buds, seeds and fruit and frequently visit feeders. In the eastern United States, they prefer to live in urban and suburban areas. In the West, they also prefer to live around people but will settle in deserts, orchards and coniferous forests as well.

Cut the parts according to the cutting list. Use a band saw or jigsaw to cut the notches in the tops of the towers. Cut the balcony notches the same way.

To give the effect of uneven stones used to make the castles walls, cut some irregular curves on the edges of the towers and the front panel.

Nail the main castle house together. Then nail the front balcony in place. Finally, nail on the roof parts.

Glue and nail the towers into any configuration you like. This is just one of many possibilities. Nail the balconies in place. Finally, glue and nail the tower assembly to the back of the castle.