Adding an aviary is a good way to incorporate a love of birds into a garden setting. Garden designer Jamie McMurray, homeowner Carol O'Connell and show host Ken Bastida (left to right) discuss the most important elements for a bird-friendly garden. Figure A Figure B Figure C Figure D Figure E Figure F Figure G Consider a hanging birdbath in your yard instead of a standing one so that birds won't fall prey to neighborhood cats.  REAL VIDEO Tip: How to square up the aviary walls

Guest Jamie McMurray from HGTV's Landscape Smart shows how a backyard aviary can bring life into a garden.

Why is a bird-friendly garden a good landscaping project? According to Jamie McMurray, bird-watching is the second most popular hobby after gardening. The two activities do seem to go hand in hand, since most devoted gardeners also feel a love and connection to nature and wildlife.

Northern California homeowner Carol O'Connell is one of those gardeners, and with the help of McMurray she is adding a backyard aviary to her home. That way, in addition to attracting wild birds to her garden, she can enjoy and nurture captive birds in a garden setting.

Ideally an aviary should be sheltered from rain and wind and should face southeast, the direction birds often naturally choose when nesting. Be sure to install places for birds to perch, and make sure the materials you use to build the aviary are safe for wildlife. Don't use pressure-treated wood or materials with toxic resins, and be aware of metal shavings from screws you might put in wood.

In this case, Carol O'Connell's aviary will be a 9' x 3' south-facing structure with a landscaped seating area in front of it. McMurray estimates it would cost homeowners $4,500 to $5,000 to have this project done professionally, as opposed to approximately $1,500 if they do it themselves. The job does require some carpentry skills, so he rates it a 4 on a difficulty scale of 1 to 5 (5 being most difficult).

Step One: Preparing the Aviary Site

McMurray starts by clearing the site of debris and leveling the ground so the aviary will sit evenly. The crew brings in sand, then spreads and levels it for a good base (figure A).

Next, they mark the position for the 4" x 4" California redwood corner posts by measuring the aviary site diagonally from front to back on both sides, making sure the measurements are equal. With the four corner post holes marked, holes are dug to a depth of one and a half feet.

Step Two: Framing the Aviary

Using deck screws to assemble the structure, McMurray and his crew build the nine-foot-long back and front walls of the aviary. He plans to create a sloped roofline that is eight feet tall in front and seven feet tall in back. Two-by-fours frame the top and bottom of the aviary, and 1" x 2" lengths of redwood positioned three feet off the ground add strength.

Next come braces at three-foot intervals around the frame (figure B) to accommodate half-inch square, three-foot-wide screening. Staple the wire mesh to the frame from the outside, making sure no dangerous metal edges are exposed. Use 1" x 3" redwood strips to cover the seams in the mesh and add a finished look (figure C).

When the walls are finished, tip them up, make sure they're level and place them in the corner post holes (figure D). Use concrete to fill in post holes.

With all four walls in place and put together, lay wire mesh on the ground inside the aviary and anchor it with staples to keep burrowing animals out of the cage.

Step Three: Finishing the Structure

McMurray has decided to install a half-size door at one end of the aviary. If you install a full-size door, he says, birds have a tendency to fly out of the cage over your head.

The crew frames the small door and hangs it on two hinges with a spring wire and latch to keep door shut (figure E).

The roof will be made of half-inch exterior grade plywood framed with 1" x 3" wood strips. McMurray and his crew assemble the roof on the ground, then attach it to the structure in one piece. First a 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" aluminum drip edge is nailed along one side to keep rain from going under the roof. Then the crew staples premarked asphalt shingles to the plywood and adds another aluminum drip edge (figure F). The finished roof has an overhang for extra protection from rain (figure G).

Attracting Wild Birds

In order to survive in the wild, birds need food, water and trees for shelter. Here are more tips for attracting wild birds to your yard and garden:

• Provide nesting boxes hung eight to 10 feet off the ground, facing east for morning light.

• Avoid seed mixes you find in grocery stores; they contain high amounts of millet, which perching birds don't usually eat. Instead use black oil sunflower seeds and birds will flock to your feeder.

• Make shallow water readily available in the form of a hanging or standing birdbath.

• Plant shrubs and grasses that offer berries or seeds.

• Plant tubular flowers that produce nectar, such as trumpet vine, morning glory and honeysuckle. Blue and red flowers are especially popular with winged creatures, so include salvias, cleome, nasturtiums and geraniums as well.

• Plant trees for food and shelter. Oaks produce acorns for food, and conifers are especially good for nesting sites.

• Use plants that are native to your area because they are most likely to lure indigenous wildlife. Also use varieties that bloom at different times of the year so there are always some food options.

Step Four: Completing the Aviary Environment

Although a solid cement floor is one option for the floor of the aviary, McMurray chooses a less expensive, less troublesome design. On top of the screen already installed at ground level, he pours a layer of sand, then a layer of decorative gravel and levels it all with a garden rake.

Next he installs small tree branches in the aviary for the captive birds to perch on, first sanding and spraying the limbs with water to remove pesticides or diseases left by wild birds. He places the branches high, near the roof, and then adds a fluorescent light to show off the birds in the evening.

With the help of a local bird expert, O'Connell chooses finches, canaries and diamond doves to inhabit her new aviary. In the East or Midwest, you might consider larger birds, such as pheasant, that can withstand colder climates. Also, during winter months plastic or plexiglass can be stapled around the aviary to offer protection for the birds. Talk to a local bird supplier to find out what sort of birds would work best in your climate.

Finally, McMurray spreads gravel for the seating area, installs appropriate plantings around the aviary and lays down stepping stones for easy access from the seating area to the cage. The completed project creates a real focal point in the garden.