Bird feeders do it yourself

Birds are in constant search for food. If it is easier for forest dwellers to find food because of the abundance of trees, greenery and their fruits, then the city has to find food on the street, since all young shoots are ruthlessly cut and mown. The most difficult time for birds is winter, the beginning of spring. It is during this period that they need care and feeding. The creation of improvised means and decoration of bird feeders can be handled by any caring person. This will not only help the birds survive in harsh conditions, but also decorate the garden or balcony.

Requirements for feeders

It is better to make houses with food from a natural, non-toxic material. A tree, like nothing else, is suitable for this purpose. But such feeders are heavy, it is not always possible to place them on a balcony or a thin line. For a good purpose, you can use any available material - plastic bottles, cardboard boxes, earthenware and so on. In order not to waste time and not harm the birds, it is necessary to study the basic requirements for such structures:

• The material must be durable and light enough, able to withstand a blow against a tree trunk, a brick wall in windy weather;
• It is necessary to make feeders of moisture-resistant raw materials, suitable for long-term use;
• The entrance is spacious. Any bird must freely fly and fly;
• There should not be protruding nails, wires, sharp ledges;
• Do not use packaging cardboard for harmful chemicals.

Types of feeders and manufacturing methods

At home, you can make a feeder in various ways. The house can be of any design, from simply put together boards, to a real bird's palace, decorated with decoupage. To take a closer look at interesting birds, the feeder can be made transparent, attached to the window on the suction cups, or hung on the branch nearest to the house. But do not get carried away, the constant presence of a person only scare away birds. Self-made model must necessarily meet all the requirements of safety and practicality. There are many simple projects and methods for making birdhouses.

Suspended

Very simple designs. It may be just an apple, bacon on a string, grains in a mesh case. This feeder is suitable for tits and other insectivorous birds. For stubblers, you can make a ball out of a mixture of seeds. Fasten it with frozen fat, peanut butter. It is better to roll it with your hands in the cold, so the mass will quickly harden.

Do feeders can be based on a certain type of birds. For tits suitable stringed berries rose hips, nuts. Blue tits will suit the taste of the feeder swing. In this case, the ball should be hung on a thin, springy branch. Suspended cones will attract the attention of bullfinches, waxwings and other sheller. So that the feeder was visible from afar, it can be decorated with a bright bunch of mountain ash.

Tray designs and platforms

The main advantage of such feeders is the ability for birds to see food from afar. Flat platforms usually do not have high sides, so the food often wakes up, blown up by the wind. Also in places of feeding without a frame and a roof large birds gather, which can turn the platform over.

Trough designs can be hung or mounted on a wooden leg. A landing site, a perch, is absolutely necessary in order to facilitate access to food for the bird and to give it a chance to gain a good foothold. These can be open designs with free access to the feed or original products with automatic grain feeding.

Trough-houses

To feed the birds, it is not necessary to build a good wooden structure. Plywood sheets, thick, processed cardboard, plastic pieces and other materials will do. The presence of the roof has a very useful function - to protect the feed from getting wet, rotting. The roof can be sloping or in the form of a visor. You can supplement the feeder house with low walls that prevent the spillage of grain and sparrow flocks.

Dining room made of plywood for birds - the easiest and most reliable option. To create it you will need a small sheet of wood material, wooden bars for the sides, a handsaw, wood glue and nails. Cut out the wood from the drawing of the workpiece (platform, two elements of the roof, side supports), collect. You can fasten with glue or nails. In a high, reliable design large pigeons, nutcrackers, jays will fit.

You can also make a feeder house made of cardboard for small birds. Pre-impregnate the material with PVA glue, so that it does not break from the first rain. In this case, the props will be simple sticks. Assemble parts with glue.

Feeding trough-houses should be placed at a safe distance for birds from the ground, but convenient for humans. Feathered will be comfortable away from busy places.

Bunker type feeders and shelling

This type of feeders suitable for small birds, alternately feeding them. 2 representatives will not fit in it at once, since the feeding zone is limited. Closed on all sides, the product has only one entrance. Bunker structures are a great option for windy, rainy terrain. A flock of sparrows will not be able to prevent a quiet diet.

Feeder bunkers can be of the most different design. The main thing is not to forget to staff them with a perch, a narrow platform. You can make them in a few minutes from the available simple materials.

Excellent bird dining out of the usual plastic bottle. Durable material is not afraid of changes in temperature and moisture. You can take a large 5-liter eggplant or a small 2-liter. The phased manufacturing process is as follows:

1. Cut one or two large windows in the center of the bottle;
2. We stick the sharp edges of the plastic with tape and tape so that the birds do not get hurt;
3. In the lower part of the product we make several holes, we thread branches in them - these will be perches;
4. Suspend, wind down the feeder with duct tape to the tree and fill it with grains.

Shellers are designed for a certain type of birds that prefer to eat cereals, bread, nuts, various cereals. Food is prepared in a special way - glued into lozenges. Then the crusts, the bars are placed in metal mesh with large cells and hung.

Materials used to build the feeders

You can make a feeder from a variety of scrap materials (plastic, wood, glass). But it should be borne in mind that each type of raw material is suitable for the manufacture of certain structures that have both advantages and disadvantages. Any product, even the most inconspicuous, will help to survive difficult times in winter. You should also consider for whom of the winged neighbors it will be intended, since with good intentions you can attract real pests to the garden.

Plastic bottles and liquid product boxes

Plastic packaging is available and popular, be sure to be found in every house or apartment. Even a child can make a big or miniature trough. Depending on the type of bird, you can give it a vertical or horizontal position. This is the most common raw material for bird dining, because it has many advantages:

• Financial benefits. The material is a container, its value is added to the content. No need to buy separately;
• Convenience for birds. Bottles have an advantageous shape, rounded walls, which prevent spillage of food;
• Ease of processing. Thin, flexible plastic amenable to cutting, melting. It just cut, decorate the holes of any size;

• Resistance to adverse weather conditions. Plastic bottles freely withstand heat and frost, do not rot, decompose;
• Availability. Tara from soda, sweet drink will be found in every home. In extreme cases, you can ask the neighbors.

From plastic, you can design troughs of any type - use old plastic toys, disposable cups and plates. Also suitable paper bags with a special film of milk or baby juice. The manufacturing method will depend only on the fantasy.

Eco-friendly wood feeders

The main advantage of this material is naturalness. The tree is durable, safe, it looks very beautiful. You can make a canteen for birds of any size and type from it, install it on a long leg or hang it on a tree.

It will take much longer to make a wooden feeding trough than from a plastic bottle, but it will also look very presentable. To create the feeders you will need minimal carpentry skills, sawing tools, various impregnating compositions.

Habitual for a person option - in the form of a house. It can be changed and tailored to a certain type of winged neighbors. For all types of birds suitable feeder without fences with a gable roof. For the cultivators you can build additional lattice blocks.

Original eco-feeders are obtained from curly pieces of plywood, cardboard. Suspended models are coated with fat, decorated with various seeds, dried berries. The natural structure can also be made of wine corks, lining, branches.

From scrap materials

Birds are unpretentious and do not pay special attention to the aesthetic qualities of the feeder. You can make it out of any available means without having any special skills. For good deeds, one desire will suffice. The search for material will not have to be long. Everything you need can be found in the pantry, garage, on the balcony.

A simple, beautiful feeder for small birds will be obtained from egg trays. We make holes in the corners, thread the cord and hang it in a convenient place. Of the two trays, you can make a dining room with a roof, and if you take a large package of three dozen eggs, you will get a spacious feeder for large pigeons and ravens.

Excellent raw material for the feeder - ice cream sticks. Fans of summer delicacies can easily accumulate a sufficient amount over the season. We glue the plywood or cardboard bottom with wooden elements. The sides are made by overlaying the edges of the sticks at each other, fixing with white glue. Between the gaps skip the rope and fasten on the tree.

For the trough fit a large tin can. Suspend it in a horizontal position, punch the bottom, install the perch and any fixator so that the feed does not spill out.

From glass and old dishes

You can use various kitchen utensils as a trough. Suitable glass jars, bottles, old utensils. High wine containers are used to create designs with automatic feeding of food. Attach the inverted bottle with the neck down to the dense piece of the board. Mount two sites - one will hold the bottle, the other will support the birds. Fill the container with food and turn it over.

A simple and original dining room will come out of a regular liter can. Turn it horizontally, wind a wooden spoon and hang it with the same tape to a tree or anywhere on the balcony. It is also possible to draw up a plot with benefit by arranging several elements of a tea set filled with grains on a special stand.

Unusual Pumpkin Feeder

A simple, easy-to-implement idea will undoubtedly be enjoyable when sold to adults and children. Hanging a bright vegetable with food outside the window or at the entrance, you can watch the feathered beauties daily. To create the original crafts you will need the pumpkin itself, wooden slats, wire or ribbon, seeds. We will make the feeder following the step-by-step instructions:

• Make an incision just above the center and remove the cap, clean out all the seeds;
• Cut a knife or drill four holes opposite each other. It is better if the pairs of holes are at different heights;
• Cut off two pieces of wire and wrap the ends around the crossbars;
• Connect the ends of the wire together, form a loop;
• We throw the pumpkin feeder on a massive branch and generously fill it with grains, nuts, and dry berries.

How and where to place the feeder

Popular places for feeding feeders - a balcony or a tree. From the window it is interesting to watch the birds and just pour food, so many people prefer this option. But it has significant drawbacks. These are likely difficulties with neighbors due to abandoned litter and scattered husks.

Hanging on a tree in the garden, schoolyard, near the entrance of an apartment building should be subject to complete safety from predators. A distracted bird may not notice a stalking cat and become its easy prey. Placing the feeders on the bushes in the park area, you should take into account the comfort of the people around them. You can not hang designs with food near the highway, over the tables and benches.

To hang a product for feeding birds, you can use any material, depending on the type of construction. Light plastic bottles are attached to the barrel with adhesive tape or tied to a twine or tape. Wooden houses, glass troughs can be installed on a stand, and heavy uneven products, for example, a pumpkin, are hooked onto solid wire.

Decor dining for birds

It is very easy to turn an ordinary birdhouse into a real yard decoration. It will require a minimum of available materials and good imagination. It is quite easy to make an aesthetic craft and decorate it with the help of some design tricks. You can initially make dining room for birds of unusual shape or improve the standard version. Use a variety of techniques for decoration: painting, decoupage, weaving and others.

Coloring and painting

It is even more pleasant to decorate a bird house made with his own hands. The easiest way to design is to paint the roof and walls from the outside with gouache on wood or acrylic. For work you will need to prepare a primer, brushes, paints and a sketch of the drawing. Choose a picture absolutely any. Beautifully will look yellow titmouse, green against a background of clouds, various patterns.

We cover with a white primer the entire outer surface of the product. When it dries, you can start painting, monochrome coloring or translation of motifs. After hardening the paint, the feeder is coated with varnish.

It is not recommended to paint platforms and trough structures from the inside. Varnishes and blends on acetone and solvents may harm birds.

Weaving-decoration with ropes / yarn / twine

Plain plastic bottle can be turned into a useful element of decor in the garden. Wool threads or twine will add naturalness to this product. This method will not only fill the site with new paints, but will also serve as an excellent insulation for the structure.

With decoration can handle any person who wants to help the birds. You can use a different textile material. Used yarn, colored floss yarn, a simple piece of burlap. You should also prepare waterproof glue brush for whitewashing. The job is as follows:

• Prepare a plastic bottle, cut out the necessary holes, set a flat bottom;
• We glue the plastic over the entire surface and wrap it with threads;
• In the place of the windows we cut the twine and wrap its ends inside the product;
• We straighten the brush and place it on the bottle cap, imitating a thatched roof;
• We thread the wire under the lid and push through the brush straw;
• We decorate the original dining room to your liking. Suitable pieces of fabric with frayed edges, buttons, cones, spruce twigs and more.

Natural decoration

Products with forest decor will look great on the site next to the coniferous planting, and even better, near the decorative Christmas trees. Natural cones, spruce branches, branches, tassels of mountain ash are placed on the roof or pallet. You can randomly distribute them around the perimeter or create a beautiful composition. But it should be understood that this decor will not live for long, as the birds will regard it as food and constantly pinch. The design will need to be updated periodically.

The wooden frame of the bird's dining room can be decorated with a mosaic of cereals, various crackers. All external surfaces are coated with fat, sweet oil, natural glue and sprinkled with seeds, rice, buckwheat porridge, millet. From colorful elements you can lay out beautiful patterns.

It is necessary to fix the natural decor to the house or playground only on a natural paste, as the birds will surely try it.

Conclusion

By following simple instructions, you can create an original, convenient and bird-safe feeding bowl. You can assemble or cut it from a variety of materials. Benefit will be able to bring the old service, glass, can. Bright accents will add crafts from pumpkin, oranges. Good deed will not pass without a trace. Even the most inconspicuous and small canteen for birds helps save more than one bird's life in winter.