DIY Bird Feeders the Whole Family Can Make

Gone are the days of throwing bread out on the lawns; bird feeders are here to stay! Or to be more precise, DIY bird feeders are here to stay. We’ve put together some great suggestions on different types you could make, along with examples of food birds will love to eat when they visit.

5 Ideas for DIY Bird Feeders

It’s time to welcome even more birdsong into your garden by making one of these five bird feeders:

Hanging branch feeder – before you tell me that trees already have branches and they aren’t used for feeding birds, hear me out. You find a sturdy enough branch that has fallen off a tree, around 3-5cm in diameter. Drill a hole through the top, poke a piece of rope through and tie the ends together. Now drill about six holes only halfway through the branch, and into each one a peanut butter and bird seed combination.
Orange skin feeder – the preparation of the orange skin will require some adult assistance. After cutting the orange in half, remove the contents of it with a spoon (and eat). Then poke four evenly spaced holes to thread string through for hanging. You can fill the empty skin with yummy seeds, bread or even sugar water. You could use a coconut shell instead, but make sure it doesn’t have any holes in the bottom.
Kebab feeders – hunt out those wooden kebab sticks and cut up small pieces of fruit. Push the pieces onto the kebab sticks and when full, tie a loop of string on each end. Secure to a tree or fence, and when everything’s been eaten up, bring it inside and do it all again. This is great for windfall and very ripe fruit.
Ice block stick feeder – bring out your building skills and create a small box out of ice block sticks and glue. Remember those Cuisenaire rods at school that you played with for maths? It’s the same thing; alternate layered sticks around the sides, with a flat base supported with two sticks glued in the opposite direction. Add some string to the sides and hang outside.
Ice feeders – choose your mould, which could be a small plastic container or even an ice cube tray. Add suitable bird food in it, followed by a knotted piece of string or rope, and fill with water. Once frozen, remove from the mould and hang outside. Take a look at the frozen sun catchers we made, as they would also make great feeders.

As for what types of food you can include in your feeders, that can vary depending on the size of your feeder and the types of birds you have or want to attract. This could include commercial bird seed, fruit, sugar water or sunflower seeds.

Why not spend some time birdwatching too? Our Muddy Kids Pack contains everything a young birdwatcher (or spy, if that sounds like more fun) will need to stay clean and dry!

We’d love to see photos of the bird feeders you make, along with action shots of them being used! Let us know in the comments which ones you made, and either send us an email or share via Facebook so we can share with everyone else!

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