Final run from Dougal's shed • In 9 active carts • 23 left
Dougal's Hand-Carved Wood Spirit Birdhouse
Dougal's Hand-Carved Wood Spirit Birdhouse
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Dougal's Hand-Carved Wood Spirit Birdhouse
Hand-carved from old tōtara fence posts in a shearing shed above Little River, Banks Peninsula
Dougal Fyfe, 74, built fences on the peninsula’s sheep farms for thirty years and has carved wood-spirit faces for 44. Each one is a birdhouse, cut from a single block. His eyesight is going and he can no longer do the fine work. These are his last 53.
“A birdhouse that never holds a bird is just a dead face on a wall. I’d rather a rifleman raised a family in it than some rich fella looked at it over his dinner.”
Dougal Fyfe · Little River, Banks Peninsula
What comes in the box
One solid block, a hooded wood-spirit face
The carved mouth is the front door
Ready to hang from a branch or hook
Safely packed, lovely to give
What makes Dougal’s birdhouse special
Carved from one solid block of seasoned wood. No glued seam to swell, crack and come apart in a Canterbury frost.
The carved hood hangs over the mouth like a verandah. When the southerly drives the rain in, it runs off the face, not into the nest.
The small hole under the beard drains any water out and lets fresh air through on a hot nor’west day.
Thick solid walls work like a thermos: warm on a frosty spring night, cool when the nor’wester hits thirty degrees.
Dougal follows the grain, so no two faces are the same. You can still see his knife marks.
Untreated wood that weathers to a soft silver over the years and becomes part of the garden.
“Most of our small native birds that nest in holes lost their homes when the old trees came down. A rifleman can’t dig its own hole. Food in the garden helps the tūī, but a solid, dry, well-hung birdhouse near some bush gives a hole-nester something a feeder never can.”
Dr. Rachel Cotter · Forest-bird ecologist · Canterbury nest-box volunteer
Perfect for
Why Dougal’s birdhouse lasts
- One solid piece. No joins, no glue, nothing to split.
- Seasoned two years. Every block dries on the rack before Dougal touches it.
- Rain stays out. The hood and drain-vent keep the inside dry.
- Easy to clean. Brush it out after the nesting season and hang it back up.
- Checked by hand. Dougal looks over every face before it leaves the shed.
If Dougal’s birdhouse doesn’t win you over, one email to info@craft-folk.com is enough. He would rather have it back than see it sit in a cupboard.
Tip from Dougal: Hang it from a thin branch, two to three metres up, out of the afternoon sun and away from the trunk. Close to some bush or shrubs is best. Every carved face is a little different, because the grain decides it.
Product details
| Contents | 1 hand-carved wood-spirit birdhouse with hanging cord |
| Material | Solid natural wood, carved from a single block |
| Finish | Natural, untreated wood that greys softly outdoors |
| Size | About 28–30 cm tall, 16–18 cm wide, 15 cm deep |
| Entrance | The carved open mouth, about 4 cm across |
| Weight | About 0.7–1 kg |
| Use | Outdoors, hung from a branch or hook |
| Care | Brush out once a year after the nesting season |
| Made by | Dougal Fyfe, Little River — final run, 53 remaining |
The Last Winter
The Last Winter
A note from the shed:
Dougal Fyfe built fences on the sheep farms of Banks Peninsula for thirty years. When the farms put in new fences, he took the old tōtara posts home, and for 44 years he has carved wood-spirit faces from single blocks, the way the sawmill men at Little River once carved faces into the stumps they left behind. Every face is a birdhouse: the open mouth is the front door, the hood keeps the rain off. He made them for the rifleman, New Zealand’s smallest bird, which needs a ready-made hole to nest in and has lost most of the old trees that had them. Two winters ago his eye specialist told him he has macular degeneration. His hands are still strong, but he can no longer see the fine cuts around the eyes. 53 finished birdhouses are left on the rack in his shearing shed. When they are gone, there will be no more.
Free NZ-Wide Shipping
Free NZ-Wide Shipping
Free shipping New Zealand-wide
- Delivery time: 3–7 business days
- Every birdhouse is carefully packed and sent with tracking
- Arrives ready to hang: loop the cord over a branch or hook
- Size: about 28–30 cm tall, 16–18 cm wide, 15 cm deep; entrance about 4 cm
- 30-day money-back guarantee — just email info@craft-folk.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Email us anytime at info@craft-folk.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm (New Zealand time). Whether it’s about your order, where to hang your birdhouse, or just to say kia ora — a real person writes back.
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Of course. 30-day money-back guarantee. Hang it in the garden, and if it isn’t right for you, email info@craft-folk.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions, and shipping within New Zealand is free.
How is it made?
How is it made?
Each birdhouse starts as a single block of seasoned wood that dries on the rack for two years. Dougal doesn’t draw the face first; he follows the grain and carves the hood, the eyes, the long nose and the open mouth by hand, then the small drain-vent under the beard. There are no glued seams and no joins. Every face is checked in his shed before it leaves, and no two are exactly alike.