These bird boxes/ bird nesters are made
by a ceramic artist using clays that he has developed
himself. When fired to 1260°C the clay vitrifies to become water and frost proof - this does not happen with much of the cheap imported pottery.
As each Birdnester is hand made on a
potters wheel, the exact size and finish differs
slightly, but they are about 6 inches across. Each batch
of clay is made by the artist himself, therefore the
colour and texture will be slightly different to what
you see here. Frostproofing of the Birdnesters was
proven by soaking them in water for a day then placing
them in a freezer for a few days. They have survived a
Norwegian winter!
Fixing is simple: the rear of the Birdnester is flattened and has a slot. The large square hole allows for easy cleaning.
Put a small nail or screw (about 1½"
or 2" long) in the tree and slot the nester onto it.
The glazes are also hand made using wood ash. As each wood produces different ashes, each glaze is different - you are assured of a unique piece each time - no
mass produced stuff here!
Each birdnester has a small foot at the base which
incorporates a drainage hole. This helps keeps the
inside dry for the birds and assists when you clean it
out. These Birdnesters can be cleaned by simple washing.
