Every bird is welcome to come in
Staff writer
Birdhouses are a common sight around Sylvia Bailey’s home in Lincolnville. She took early retirement from a job she held in California and moved to Lincolnville in 2004.
Bailey has at least 18 birdhouses of various sizes and shapes in her expansive backyard and another seven in the front yard. Cardinals, blue jays, finches, sparrows, orioles, and robins are among the many birds that find a welcome there. A large fish pond provides water and a feeder provides food.
“I love to garden, and birdhouses go with it,” Bailey explained. “I love flea markets, so that gives me something to look for.”
She prefers making the houses herself or buying homemade ones. Sometimes, while traveling, she finds some along the way, like the barn birdhouse she bought in Pennsylvania’s Amish country. She often buys old birdhouses and embellishes them with fresh paint and pieces of hardware.
Several church-shaped birdhouses adorn a mantel above a fireplace in the back foyer. A birdhouse throw sets casually across the back of a stuffed chair.
Bailey already has plans to make another birdhouse out of a three-foot-tall old copper canister with a green sheen. She and her three sisters plan to attend a large flea market this weekend, and she will be looking for a top for the birdhouse.
Birdhouses are just one of Bailey’s hobbies. She always has several projects going involving such things as antique doors, windows, and cupboards. She adds something new to her garden every year.
“I’ve decided this is the year to get all of my projects done,” she said.