Birdhouse in Her Soul

July 5, 2017 10:48 PM

Beautifully Designed Tiny Houses... For Birds. The houses all started a couple of years ago, when illustrator and wildlife artist Jada Fitch -- also an avid birder -- decided to make a new bird feeder that could provide a more interesting backdrop for her photos. For the first house, "She carved out a door and windows, and attached a little porch on the front of the structure to act as a perch. She then added the interior décor: painted throw rugs, framed ‘portraits’ of bird family members, and cardboard couches and armchairs, creating a whimsical living room in the process. Lastly and most importantly, she scattered seed across the furniture and floor and Duct taped the house to her window." Her sense of humor is evident in a post of her latest bird feeder: Agent Cooper's Hawk at Twin Beaks' Black Lodge.

In the time between that very first house in 2015 and the recent Twin Beaks' Black Lodge, the Maine-based artist has built and taken photos of many more designs and bird visitors -- such as this Halloween-themed bird feeder where a bird in the doorway looks like it has bat wings (scroll down).

Because of popular demand, Fitch teamed up with her husband Philip to create and sell bird feeders, and also improved the structure and longetivity of the houses. The "Home Tweet Home" kits are often sold out, so she announces new batches on her tumblr and twitter.

Among her other work exploring the world of nature, Fitch has illustrated a number of books for children, including a coloring book about owls, a kids' hiking guide to Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island, Maine (written by Hope Rowan), and a series of board books featuring a different animal (written by Melissa Kim): a snowy owl, brown bat, Blanding's turtle, and monarch butterfly.

posted by rangefinder 1.4 (21 comments total)

"Honey, I'm ho... what the fuck happened in here? "
posted by pracowity at 12:53 AM on July 6, 2017 [3 favorites]

I exclaimed out loud multiple times while looking to through these (the Black Lodge!!!). Fantastic, creative, wonderful. Thanks for the post!
posted by Fig at 3:12 AM on July 6, 2017 [1 favorite]

Oh! Double high-five for a great first post!
posted by Fig at 3:13 AM on July 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

While admiring their adorableness, I was just waiting to see a picture of a squirrel to try to get in! And was rewarded.
posted by pangolin party at 4:14 AM on July 6, 2017 [3 favorites]

I wonder how often those suction cups let go.
posted by valkane at 4:26 AM on July 6, 2017

omg the twinbeaks tag. as if this post could get any more adorable
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 4:55 AM on July 6, 2017 [3 favorites]

Everything about this is awesome! Thanks for a delightful post.
posted by leesh at 5:17 AM on July 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

The Owls are not what they seem.
posted by sydnius at 6:55 AM on July 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

I was just waiting to see a picture of a squirrel to try to get in!

Ha! I have admired these birdfeeders for some time and spent a little bit of time trying to get one up and running and it's a lot harder than it looks. I do not have a photo of my attempts but let's just say it wound up something like this. Great first post!
posted by jessamyn at 6:57 AM on July 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

Now I am stuck watching old episodes of Piip-Show. I'm going to try building one of these again....
posted by jessamyn at 7:39 AM on July 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

I wonder how often those suction cups let go.

According to the first link they hold very well, "even in high wind".

Also the squirrel scrambling around on top of that one seems like a good endorsement that they do alright.
posted by suddenly, and without warning, at 8:13 AM on July 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

Nice squirrel feeders!
posted by Thorzdad at 9:21 AM on July 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

I can vouch for suction-cup held window bird-feeders. I used to have heavier birdfeeders, which stuck to the window fine, but after losing a couple (where the suckers held to the window) I switched strategies. Now, mine are much simpler, made from those tiny disposable tupperware holders you get for cheap at the supermarket. I cut holes in the sides of the tupperware for the suction cups, and holes in the bottom for water drainage. The birds don't care about the setting, as long as there are black sunflower seeds, they'll come around. For some weird reason, I don't get squirrels. But the feeders are very sturdy, surprisingly; they even held to the windows during blizzards last winter – and the birds even visited then!

Birds are crazy. I love my pet-not-pets.
posted by not_on_display at 9:46 AM on July 6, 2017 [3 favorites]

these are soooo cute. I thought though that they were bird houses, not feeders. Was confused why the birds appeared to be stashing ALL THE SEED on their floors.
posted by rebent at 10:15 AM on July 6, 2017 [1 favorite]

Which one comes with the blue canary in the outlet by the light switch?
posted by CancerMan at 11:07 AM on July 6, 2017 [3 favorites]

Which one watches over me?
posted by jessamyn at 12:16 PM on July 6, 2017 [4 favorites]

Aaahhhh, but I have enough projects already!

(But seriously, nice post!)
posted by Harald74 at 11:29 PM on July 6, 2017 [1 favorite]

I like that Jada Fitch also includes posts that show her process/progress, because we usually only get to see the finished product of art in books, signs, etc. I also think's cool that she works on different types of projects in addition to books and birdhouses.

Some more highlights from her tumblr:

- A different perspective of her first bird feeder house (showing the entire cardboard box duct-taped to her window)

- "My most used tools"

- Large sign art (watercolors) for the children's garden in Fort Williams Park (Cape Elizabeth, Maine): in progress, color painting in progress, details and sketches

- Trail signs (watercolors) for the Eastern Trail in Maine: "Leave it to Beavers" sign in progress (detail), finished, and installed; Scarborough Marsh birds sign finished and installed on the trail

- Art for poster/shirt of Deadly Mushrooms of North America (watercolors): almost done, finished

And not just watercolors:

- "Art process for Clynk recycling box in Biddeford, Maine." (Sketches to final installation. Final coloring as digital? Not sure.)

- Art in chalk: in progress (earlyish), in progress, completed

- Project using colored pencils (in progress)

Glad that people are enjoying the post. (Thanks, restless_nomad and goodnewsfortheinsane for the feedback before I posted!)
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 2:24 AM on July 7, 2017 [2 favorites]

Oh and I'd looked at the linked pages at least a dozen times when writing up the post, and somehow I only now noticed that the first of the framed portraits in the initial window feeder house is not a bird! Which made me say, "Oh my gosh is that a squirrel with a little smile on their face??" and laugh out loud.
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 2:31 AM on July 7, 2017

Very late but great first post, and so adorable! I was describing this to a friend last weekend and was glad to have some more links to share!
posted by ellieBOA at 1:24 AM on July 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

> Which one comes with the blue canary in the outlet by the light switch?

> Which one watches over me?

Before the thread closes, I'd like to say that this cover of "Birdhouse in Your Soul" (MeFi Music collab by Karlos the Jackal and chara) is the unofficial soundtrack for this post.
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 6:28 PM on August 5, 2017 [1 favorite]