Over the past few years, Pfeiffer Nature Center of Portville, N.Y., has encouraged bird enthusiasts to gather during the cold weather and build birdhouses for their feathered friends to use in the spring.

This year’s annual event, titled “Bluebird Nest Box and Bug Hotel Building,” will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. and 11 a.m. to noon Feb. 16 at Home Depot, 1900 Dan Eaton Drive, Olean, N.Y.

Beverly Jones, nature program coordinator for Pfeiffer, said participants can build a birdhouse, a bug hotel or both during the event. She said those who enjoy birds should also “love bugs” as they are a feeding source for birds and the diet plan for all baby birds. Therefore, the bug hotels  will provide a food source for the feathered creatures.

Jones said nature enthusiasts Tim Baird and Mike Ermer will be available to answer questions about birds, and craftsmen Joe Leo and Craig Myers will lead construction activities.

“We think the kids will have a lot of fun filling the bug hotels” with various materials, Jones said.  Myers, who is the lead craftsman for the program and board president of Pfeiffer, said he has been making prefabricated parts for the event.

“I’m going up to my workshop to make some bug hotels and birdhouses,” Myers said on Friday.

“We make up either a birdhouse kit or a bug hotel kit, and we’ll have the material to fill the bug hotel.”

Therefore, the program, which has pre-cut and pre-drilled materials, is geared toward the beginner craftsperson, or youngster.

“A youngster can go away with a pretty cool project they built themselves, which is fun and they get educated,” he added.

While the bug hotel concept is new, and the brainchild of Jones, he said the main staple of the program has been the yearly creation of the bluebird houses.

“Bev, in her creativeness, came up with the second project,” Myers said. “We add something to (the birdhouses) every year because we get a lot of followers.”

He said additional projects with the birdhouses in the past have been kestrel houses, bat houses and squirrel feeders.

Myers said the ideal location for the bug hotels will be in landscaping with wildflowers where property owners might desire pollinators such as bees.

“There is bamboo (in the hotels) that might attract nesting bees, and/or (bugs) that the birds will eat,” he explained. “(The hotels) will help keep the birds around as well, which is beneficial and fun to watch.”

Other materials to put in the bug hotel will include aged tree bark, twigs and pine cones.

On a related note, Myers said the program has been a success over the years thanks to Home Depot and its staff.

“Home Depot has been a fantastic partner and supporter,” Myers continued. “They let us host there and help us with the materials, such as the boards.”

Pre-registration for the program is required by Feb. 14 and can be done through Pfeiffer.  Reservations are limited and are on a first come, first serve basis

The fee is a $10 donation per bird nest box or bug hotel for an individual or a group of builders that can comprise up to three participants. Children must be accompanied by adults.

To register, visit www.pfeiffernaturecenter.org and click on “Register for our Programs,” or call the office at (716) 933-0187.