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Neil's Hand-Carved Wood Spirit Birdhouse
Neil's Hand-Carved Wood Spirit Birdhouse
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Neil's Hand-Carved Wood Spirit Birdhouse
A Hand-Carved Wood Spirit from the Ottawa Valley
Neil Tackaberry, 72, outside Eganville, Ontario — 44 years carving the old hooded wood spirits the Valley lumbermen left on their stumps. His right eye can no longer follow the fine cuts. These 59 are the last he will ever make.
“A birdhouse that never holds a bird is just a dead face on a wall. I didn’t carve them for walls.”
What arrives at your door
Why the birds actually move in
Carved from one solid piece of basswood. No glued seam that cracks open in the frost and lets the rain in.
About 4 cm wide. Bluebirds, tree swallows, chickadees and wrens fit through. Starlings don’t.
The carved hood sticks out over the mouth like a porch roof. Rain and melting snow drip off the beard, not into the nest.
Solid wood keeps eggs warm on a frosty May night and cool in July. A small hole under the beard drains water and lets air in.
A winter outside lets it weather and lose its new smell. Chickadees may sleep in it on cold nights. By April it’s ready for the swallows.
Left unpainted, the wood slowly turns a soft silver grey. After a few years it looks as if it grew on the tree.
“The eastern bluebird is one of Ontario’s real comeback stories, and nest boxes are a big part of why. But a box only helps if it’s built right. Most store-bought houses have a hole that is too big, so starlings take them, and walls that are too thin for a cold May night. A solid-wood house with a hole of about four centimetres, an overhang above the entrance and a drained floor is exactly what bluebirds, tree swallows and chickadees are looking for.”
Dr. Megan Corriveau, Wildlife Biologist · Pembroke, Ontario
Perfect for
The quality, in plain terms
- One solid block — no glue, no seams, no joints to fail.
- Hand-carved — every face unique, cut by a 44-year carver.
- Built for Canadian weather — overhanging brow, drained floor, thick walls.
- Right-sized entrance — about 4 cm lets bluebirds in and keeps starlings out.
- Ages beautifully — turns silver grey outdoors, no paint to peel.
30-Day Peace of Mind
Live with your wood spirit for a month. If it isn’t everything you hoped, email us and send it back — no questions, no fuss. Neil would rather it find the right yard than sit in the wrong one.
Each piece is carved by hand from natural basswood, so small differences in grain, colour, face and size are normal — they are the mark of a real maker, not a factory. No two faces are exactly alike, and yours is the only one of its kind.
Product details
| Material | Solid hand-carved basswood |
| Finish | Natural, unpainted (weathers to silver grey) |
| Set includes | 1 wood spirit birdhouse with hanging loop |
| Approx. size | 28–30 cm H × 16–18 cm W × 15 cm D |
| Entrance hole | About 4 cm (bluebirds, tree swallows, chickadees, wrens) |
| Weight | About 0.7–1 kg |
| Design | Hand-carved — each face one of a kind |
| Placement | Fence post, tree trunk or porch post, 1.5–3 m high |
| Care | Brush out once a year in early spring; no treatment needed |
| Maker | Neil Tackaberry, Eganville, Ottawa Valley, ON |
| Shipping | Free shipping across Canada |
| Remaining | 59 pieces — no restock |
The Last Winter
The Last Winter
A note from the workshop:
Neil Tackaberry has carved wood spirits in an old drive shed outside Eganville, in the Ottawa Valley, for 44 years. His grandfather worked the lumber camps up the Bonnechere and gave every stump he left behind a face. Neil has carved more than 3,000 of them, each from one solid block of basswood. Two winters ago macular degeneration took the fine detail out of his right eye, the eye he carves with. These 59 birdhouses are the last he will ever make.
Free Shipping Across Canada
Free Shipping Across Canada
Free shipping across Canada
- Every birdhouse is wrapped by hand and sent with tracking
- Size: about 28–30 × 16–18 × 15 cm, entrance about 4 cm
- Solid hand-carved basswood, unpainted, hanging loop on the back
- Hang it this fall on a fence post or tree, 1.5–3 m high, so it is ready when the swallows return in April
- 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 (ET). Whether it’s about your order, where to hang your birdhouse, or just to say hello — 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 and live with it for a few weeks, and if you are not happy with it, email info@craft-folk.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions asked.
How is it made?
How is it made?
Neil cuts the basswood on his own land and lets it dry for two years. Then he carves each face from one solid block with knives and gouges, most of them his father’s. The mouth is cut to about 4 cm for bluebirds and tree swallows, the hood is left long as a rain roof, and a small drain hole goes in under the beard. No glue, no joints, no paint. No two faces are the same.