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Last week we about an exotic tree house-birdhouse combo at a Japanese nature center. Since we first noticed it, it’s been in headlines everywhere, with coverage in , , even the blog . It’s easy to see why: The house is pretty cool, nestled in the trees, offering 78 openings for birds and one entryway for a human. With peepholes that open onto the birds’ half, it offers the person an experience that’s half-voyeuristic, half-nature immersion, all intimate look at the feathered flyers.

The chatter about funky birdhouses got us thinking: There have to be others out there—and boy did we find them. Here are three we had to share:

3-D Alphabet Bird Boxes
These hip, modern letter boxes by 32-year-old Nishant Jethi are what he calls Living Typography. “I grew up around nature and always had a special place in my heart for birds,” he told us by e-mail. “When I moved to Mumbai, I was both shocked and saddened to realize that sparrows…were gradually reducing in numbers. The few left always seemed remote and almost nonexistent.”

So he set out to build them homes with character, apropos given his design background. He started off sending his 3-D hollow wooden alphabets to family and friends. Then the project expanded, with backing from a design group, an ad agency, and eventually, an NGO that works to get shelter for sparrows.

Now he’s hoping to take the birdhouses global—and they’re available for sale if you want them. For more information, visit .

Bird Mansions
Jack Pattison, a professional artist from eastern Massachusetts whittles these by hand, out of recycled wood “usually recovered furniture pieces rescued from local landfills,” according to .

What started off as a gift/surprise for his wife quickly turned into something more, as soon as people saw the detail and beauty of the houses. Plus, it gave Pattison something to do in his retirement. “Every single one is different,” he told the newspaper. “Every time I pick up the tools, I have a sense of, ‘What am I going to do now?’”

Pattison will ship the handcrafted boxes anywhere in the U.S. Prices range from $60 to $120. For more information, visit .

Modern Replicas
And now for something completely different, these mimic actual buildings created by Neoshed, a company that specializes in “modern design green products.” The four stylish abodes each come made-to-order depending on the preferred bird species. And apparently they’re easy to clean, too—always a bonus.

Not that these are birdhouses, but we had to point out as well because, let’s face it, they’re just funky. What bird wouldn’t want to dine with a view like these bad boys offer? Again, they’re based on actual outdoor rooms designed by Neoshed, and they’re made from heat-treated poplar “so they last and require no finishes.”

For more information, visit . The birdhouses cost $75-$100; the feeders run $125 each.

And finally…
…a few others we wanted to point out:
The and the from Loll Designs
by J Schatz
from Songbird Garden