New England Birdhouse Blog » Inside NEBH

Ribbon Cutting at the Byam Outdoor Learning Center

Bill Askenburg — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:00:08 +0000

Students cut ribbon to open the Byam Learning Center

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on October 29 to officially open Byam Elementary School’s ”Outdoor Learning Center” in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Located in Byam’s central courtyard, the Outdoor Learning Center will be used as an outdoor classroom with an emphasis on ecology, biology, gardening, wildlife habitats, and recycling and resuse.

The Outdoor Learning Center includes a variety of bird feeders, bird houses, a birdhouse video camera system, a wireless weather station, rain gauge, butterfly garden, and solar-powered bird bath. In the future, the Outdoor Learning Center will be expanded to include an herb garden and composting center.

The transformation from courtyard to Outdoor Learning Center was spearheaded by Janet Askenburg and made possible by volunteer efforts, donations from local businesses, and a grant from the Chelmsford Arts and Technology Fund.

Dr. Jane Gilmore presents proclamation to students

The ribbon cutting ceremony was led by Dr. Jane Gilmore, Byam Elementary School Principal, and attended by student representatives from each of the school’s classes, Byam School Association President Joanne Hayes, State Representative Jim Arciero, Chelmsford Superintendent of Schools Dr. Donald Yeoman, Chelmsford Board of Selectmen Clare Jeannotte and Pat Wojtas, Chelmsford Art & Technology Fund Committee members Glenn Doherty and Evelyn Thoren, and Tom Christiano, the host of Chelmsford Telemedia’s show Politically Incorrect.

A favorite of the students and teachers is the unique and up-close view of an active bird nest, viewed via a live video feed from a nest box camera system. The birdhouse video camera sends images to a television in the school library, providing the children with an opportunity to watch nesting behavior without disturbing the birds. As part of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s “Project Feeder Watch” program, students will be collecting and reporting wild bird species data to help scientists track movements of bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance.

The Byam Outdoor Learning Garden

Custom birdhouses and bird feeders for the Outdoor Learning Center were provided by New England Birdhouse. The bird-friendly structures were built using recycled and reused materials, and were designed for durability and to match the school’s architecture. Both nest boxes and platform structures were built to encourage a variety of birds to nest in the area. The Outdoor Learning Center also features many different types of bird feeders including a hopper, platform, tube, hummingbird, suet cage, and log feeder.

Bird Watcher’s Digest Backyard Birding Basics Video

Bill Askenburg — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:00:41 +0000

Andy Thompson of “Bird Watcher’s Digest” shows Harry Smith of the CBS Morning News, some of the great new products available for backyard birders including the water wiggler, audubon nesting boxes, and the Identiflyer. Great video for backyard birding basics, including a segment on field guides, bird feeders and squirrel proofing.

Bird Watcher's Digest Backyard Birding Basics Video

Bill Askenburg — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:00:41 +0000

No ordinary nest

Bill Askenburg — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:59:57 +0000

Custom Replica Bird House

Eight years ago, Bill Askenburg established New England Birdhouse of Chelmsford, Mass., a niche business offering custom miniature replicas of clients’ homes that serve as weather-resistant bird shelters. As he works meticulously on each piece, he says he always considers how special each one is going to be to the recipient.

“One of the best things is hearing stories about why the pieces are being commissioned,” says Askenburg. “I’d say 99 percent of the birdhouses I build are commissioned as gifts. Usually it’s an anniversary gift for someone that loves their house and loves birds. I’ve got one job for this man’s mother who’s moving into a retirement home, and it’s going to be a reminder of her old home.”

Woodworking has always been a hobby for Askenburg, who grew up watching his father carve replicas of birds and ducks. After replacing some stairs in his house when he first moved in, he used some of the leftover wood to make his wife a model of their new home as an anniversary gift. She was so impressed she encouraged him to offer the service to others.

Some Replicas Include Decks and Pools

Askenburg, formerly a media director at an advertising agency, had been dabbling in building Web sites and created one to launch the new business. The home-based company has grown since then, with jobs coming from clients across the country.

The birdhouses are based on photos provided by customers. Depending on the complexity of the design, each house takes approximately a month to complete. Askenburg says he’s added much more detail to his birdhouses over the years.

The houses can be built to any size, but a typical three-chamber house is approximately 20″ long x 16″ wide x 12″ tall. While each poses a unique challenge, the toughest part is getting the scale and details right, says Askenburg. He used to do all the drafting by hand, but has switched to homebuilding software, which allows him to create more accurate designs and send sample images to clients.

New Construction Style Bird House

“Because you’re working from photographs that are taken from all different angles and there are tons of obstructions, sometimes it’s really tough to make sure you get everything into perspective,” Askenburg says.

The birdhouses typically sell for $1,200 to $1,600. Contact: New England Birdhouse, 185 Westford St., Chelmsford, MA 01824. Tel: 800.815.0062. www.newenglandbirdhouse.com

Article Reprinted from Woodshop News – 4/28/09

This Unique New England Business is For the Birds

Bill Askenburg — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:47:45 +0000

New England Birdhouse

Ingenuity, uniqueness, quality and craftsmanship are characteristics often associated with New England’s culture, people and crafts. Cut from this mold, New England Birdhouse is a Massachusetts based business, who has carved out their niche by specializing in fine architectural birdhouses.

At NewEnglandBirdhouse.com they offer handcrafted custom and stock replica bird houses and bird feeders, a variety of backyard birding supplies, handcrafted & personalized gifts, garden decor and “Uniquely New England” artisan wares. Through their blog they provide original articles about backyard birding, gardening, garden and patio decor and New England topics of interest. They are committed to promoting regional artists and other New England based small businesses and interests.

Sapoch Custom Bird House

New England Birdhouse was founded by Bill Askenburg, a lifetime woodworker and avid backyard birder. The idea for the business began in 2001 with the creation of a custom birdhouse replica of his Chelmsford, MA colonial home as an anniversary present for his wife. Soon thereafter, custom birdhouses were built for the neighbors and for his wife’s coworkers. The reaction to the birdhouses was terrific, and a website was built to generate orders. New England Birdhouse was opened for business.

The company’s custom bird houses are in great demand, with orders from across the United States as well as abroad. The birdhouses are frequently commissioned as gifts, and Askenburg takes great pride in crafting each custom bird house, always mindful of how special it will be to the recipient.

Askenburg uses client submitted photos to create CAD plans for each replica bird house. The plans are reviewed by the client to ensure accuracy before construction begins. The custom bird houses are built from milled Eastern White Pine. To maximize weather resistance, exterior grade paint, fasteners and joinery are used to construct the bird houses.

Shrader Custom Bird House

The custom bird houses are both decorative and functional, with “bird friendly” features including ventilation, drainage, easy clean-out access and unfinished interior nest boxes. Entry holes are sized for common nest cavity dwellers including wrens, chickadees, nuthatches and titmice. The bird house details are painstakingly carved, burned and painted into the bird house using a number of different artistic techniques. Each custom replica bird house takes approximately a month to complete, with the average price being $1,200 – $1,600.

In 2009, New England Birdhouse added a catalog of backyard birding supplies, stock replica bird houses and bird feeders, handcrafted and personalized gifts and Uniquely New England products crafted by regional artisans, and also launched their blog.

“by Bill Askenburg, Owner – New England Birdhouse. For more information, please visit www.NewEnglandBirdhouse.com, their blog, or email Bill Askenburg.”