A bird feeder doesn’t have to be expensive, you know? You can make one with things that you can find at home. Read on to learn 10 very simple methods on how to make a bird feeder.
Reasons to Make a Bird Feeder
Birds are beautiful, aren’t they? They are colorful and they sing, too.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could see varieties of birds every day?
Great idea!
But how can you do that without buying birds and keeping them in cages?
That’s one of the main reasons for having a bird feeder.
What’s a bird feeder?
The name is pretty explanatory. A bird feeder is a material that is placed outdoors for the purpose of attracting and feeding birds.
There are parameters, though, into attracting the birds:
- Bird feeders should be situated at a high place.
- Food placed in the feeder should be something birds love.
So why should you have a bird feeder?
It attracts birds
Don’t you want to see birds?
It’s so nice to be surrounded by beautiful things. And birds are definitely beautiful.
Look
Most birds have really colorful feathers. Seeing colors could really brighten up your day.
Plus, the singing!
A popular saying goes:
Music is the language of the soul.
Keep feeding the soul with music by inviting birds in your home through the bird feeder.
Having birds nearby is good for you, which leads us to the next reason to have a bird feeder.
Birds are good for your mental health
According to Science Daily, watching birds near your home is good for your mental health.
Let’s elaborate
People living in areas surrounded by nature are less likely to suffer from depression.
In the same manner, people who spend less time outdoors are also more likely to feel anxiety.
Moreover
It doesn’t matter what kind of birds there are. As long as people see birds outside their houses, then it helps with a person’s well-being.
It makes sense
For people living alone, birds will make them less lonely.
For parents, it would be a great time to teach your children about birds. They might become avid birders one day.
Lastly
It’s the birds constant source of food
Birds eat a lot! Like a whole lot!
On average, birds eat around 12% of their body fat every day.
That’s quite a lot!
It would be great if they have a consistent supply of food. This way, they don’t have to tire themselves looking for food.
You also have to consider that parent birds would have to look for food for themselves and for their hatchlings.
This means
You are serving a higher-purpose: feeding out feathered friends!
How to Make a Bird Feeder
Now on to the important part: how to make a bird feeder?
The basic concept is that the bird feeder should be high so that the birds will notice it.
More importantly:
It should have a steady supply of food.
But what do birds eat?
Different species of birds have different diets.
Here are some of the things that birds naturally eat:
- Fruits
- Grass
- Grubs
- Insects
- Nectar
- Nuts
- Plants
- Pollens
- Seeds
- Worms
- Other small animals
Nope!
You are not going to put rodents and similar small animals into the feeder.
Those are things they eat when they are left to fend for themselves.
These are popular feeder food items:
- Millet
- Niger seed
- Rapeseed
- Safflower
- Sunflower (oil and striped)
However
If you are trying to attract varieties of birds, you should put their specific diet on the feeder.
We can be more specific as we tackle the different bird feeders that you can make at home.
Here are the simplest bird feeders that you can make:
1. Milk jug
This is a very common household waste. Instead of throwing it away, why don’t you make a bird feeder out of it.
It’s very easy
Clean the jug–of course!
Create holes on the sides of the jug. The holes should be big enough for the birds to go into.
Also
You can poke another two holes into the bottle using a long stick. This stick will serve as a perch for the birds.
Inside the jug, you can place seeds to attract and feed the birds.
2. Pot
You need a terracotta pot and two terracotta plates. You need to soak the pot in water overnight so it will be easier to drill into.
Yes, there will be drilling!
Just a little bit. You need to drill holes into the pot.
The holes should be big enough for the seeds to either fall out of them or big enough for the birds to insert their beaks into.
Now this:
Layer the terracotta items: plate, pot and plate. The pot is basically sandwiched with the plates.
Put them somewhere high as per usual. This will make it easier for the birds to see it.
You know what’s great about this?
It’s very appropriate for the garden.
3. Soup ladle
This is very simple.
You just need to stick the ladle on a board. You then need to hang the board on a tree or on the side of the house.
And the food?
You place it on the ladle of course!
4. Bottle & wooden spoon
You know that large soda bottle that you were just gonna throw away?
Well, you can recycle it!
Yep!
The procedures are just like the milk jug, except instead of the stick, you use the wooden spoon as a perch and eating area.
The process:
- Clean the bottle
- Make a hole where you can insert the wooden spoon.
- Make the hole bigger so the seeds will fall out of the bottle and into the wooden spoon–both on the handle part and the head.
5. Peanut butter treat
This is so delicious-looking that you might want it for yourself.
It’s also very easy to make.
Check this out:
You just need a piece of cardboard–something thick would be good.
Cut the cardboard into whatever shape you want it. You also need to make a little hole at the top where you can put a string in so that you can hang this on a tree branch.
Before you put the string
Cover the piece of cardboard with peanut butter. Yummmm!
Then cover the peanut butter with seeds.
You’ll be attracting birds in no time!
6. Tray
Just find a simple wooden tray. The sides of the tray should be at least an inch thick–more would be better.
Why?
You don’t want the food to fall from the tray.
The tray can be placed on the railing of a porch. This way, you can see the birds up close.
Or
You could drill some holes on the sides so that you could put cables or rope through them and then you can hang this DIY bird feeder somewhere high.
7. Mesh (for animal fat)
Meat fat like a suet, which is a hard fat taken from the kidneys and loins of sheep and cow, is a great source of heat for birds.
This is something that birds that enjoy insects would love to eat.
This is what you do
Put the fat in a mesh and hang it on a tree branch or somewhere high enough to attract birds.
This is a great bird feeder during winter.
By the way
You can buy the suet from grocery stores.
Speaking of mesh…
Here’s another use for it:
8. Leftover orange
You don’t need to throw leftover oranges–at least those you halved and used for fresh orange juice.
Place seeds or whatever food you prefer inside the orange.
Then
Put the orange with the food inside a mesh.
Choose a mesh with really large patterns so the bird can put its entire head inside to eat.
9. Teacup & saucer
This is just adorable.
It’s quite tricky to hang this though.
Anyway
You need to put the teacup on its side so it would look like the seeds or whatever bird food you are going to use has just tipped over.
Then you hang this set up.
The tricky part?
The balance. Just be careful when you string it up!
10. Thread & needle
Guess what? You will be sewing!
You can sew some fruits, nuts and even worms together.
It’s fun!
You can make hoop earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. But you’re not going to wear them!
You can hang these on branches of trees or through nails on the side of the house.
There’s so much more!
These are just 10 DIY bird feeders. You can be creative and create your own.
It can be a fun project with your kids, too.
Summary
Having your own bird feeder is great. You can attract birds. It’s lovely and it’s also good for your mental health. Plus, you are feeding birds. You are saving them from having to scrounge on their food.
Sure you can buy bird feeders. But you can also make them using the items that you have at home. Even better, you can make a bird feeder using stuff that you were about to throw away–empty soda bottles and empty milk jugs, among others.
How to make a bird feeder? It’s very simple. Here are 10 very simple ways to attract and feed birds.
Useful Resources
- How to Choose the Right Kind of Bird Feeder – All About Birds
- Top 10 Bird Feeding Mistakes – The Spruce
- What Do Birds Eat? – Celebrate Urban Birds
