A bird feeder is of great importance to us. Creating it, we not only want to feed the birds and observe them, but also strive to teach this to our children. In every kindergarten you can find many such devices. Children are taught to love the world and take care of those around them from infancy, and rightly so. Thanks to this method of education, children develop such qualities as responsibility and kindness. Tamed birds will also help get rid of some pests that have settled in your garden. In this article we will discuss how to make a beautiful bird feeder, what characteristics it should have, and consider the many varieties of such dining rooms.
Bird feeder: what conditions must be observed
Before making the first feeding trough, you need to remember and pass on to the children one useful thought that was expressed by Antoine de Saint-Exupery:
We are responsible for those who have tamed.
In other words, once you have accustomed the birds to free and easy food, you undertake to constantly look after them. If you deprive them of their food in an instant, they will not only experience many problems, but may even die. That is why such a dining room for birds is considered a great responsibility. But if you are determined to create a “dinner table” for birds, then you need to find out what characteristics it should have:
- The most important thing is not the roof, as many people think, but the sides that will not allow the grains to fall due to strong winds. You can eat without a roof, but without food this design loses its meaning.
- Consider safety issues, so that the birds do not suffer, you need to get rid of sharp edges.
- Although the roof is not the most important element, but still its presence is desirable. It protects not only from snow and rain, but also warns against bird competitors.
- If possible, then the feeder must be installed out of the reach of cats.
- To prevent birds from claustrophobic, you can take care of large windows. The holes in the feeder can be made larger in diameter.
- The product is coated with moisture resistant varnish. By doing this, you will provide the birds with a reliable and waterproof shelter.
If the product is poorly fixed, then with a strong wind you can easily lose it. To do this, some install a small piece of linoleum or put pebbles.
Varieties of bird dining
Since a bird feeder is a rather popular invention, many people want to make an exclusive design with their own hands. Everyone uses their capabilities and preferences. You can make a bird feeder both from a plastic bottle and from a plywood board or bag. And you can spend a lot of time and make a unique dining room made of resinous wood, think through everything to the smallest detail and spend fun and useful time with children.
We will learn how to make a bird feeder out of cardboard, discuss its design, capabilities and, most importantly, we will pay attention to the wishes of the birds. Having examined many designs, you can come up with your own, unique and unique bird feeder.
Who can fly
As a rule, a raven, pigeons and even sparrows need to be scared away immediately so that they no longer fly. Migratory birds, which often eat food on the fly, will only interfere with us. They can break the edges of the feeder or sprinkle all food. Therefore, only small birds and those who really need food should be populated. It can be bullfinches, jays, tits, woodpeckers, nuthatch, and many others. Such birds will not be able to break the feeder and will be quietly with others. Of course, you need to take care of all the birds. But there are certain types that can find their own food, so it’s better to build feeders for those who really need it.
Wooden feeder
To build a wooden house is quite real. To do this, you do not need to have special skills or supernatural knowledge. For a wooden feeder, you can use a lot of improvised materials: a piece of logs, broken boards from the fence, thick branches from trees, etc. If you already know how to make a bird feeder from a tree, then you can think about products for other pets. For example, wooden structures are often used to feed chickens, ducks or other animals.
In the photos below you can see how to make a bird feeder from plywood or wood. In such designs, you can drill a small hole that will serve to drain water. Due to strong winds, snow or rain can get inside. Thanks to such openings, water will not accumulate, and the feeder will serve you for a long time.
Products made from bars and battens look even more beautiful and interesting. And if you add a little roofing material to the roof, then you can increase the strength and durability of the entire structure. All necessary elements are fixed with special glue on wood or with small nails. If you use branches from trees, then you can get a more unique and inimitable design. Such a feeder will look very unusual and will attract a lot of attention. The use of impregnation or varnish is quite advisable.
If you know how to make a bird feeder from a tree, but cannot select the material, pay attention to the birch. Birch bark has a protective function and exudes a pleasant aroma. But nevertheless, it is worth covering it with varnish so that an additional protective layer and an elegant look appear.
You can mount the feeder both on the wall and on the tree trunk. You must always remember all sorts of dangers that may occur. For example, a feeder mounted directly on a tree is a pretty easy prey for cats. The design of a glass jar will help protect birds from furry opponents and strong wind or rain.
Plywood
A plywood feeder can be made without leaving your home. The most important thing is the correct drawing. Also, the feeder can be purchased at the store, but if you want to enjoy the process and spend more time with the children, then it is better to try to do it yourself. This will take several hours and, if you do not know how to quickly make a bird feeder, it is better to spend a little time and explore the drawings and projects.
Bird feeders can be open, with a flat roof, with a bunker compartment for a large supply of feed, with several tiers and even backlit. It all depends on your imagination and capabilities. Of course, you cannot do without drawings. A sample of one of them is presented in our article. If there is time, then choose a more unique design and add something of your own.
When choosing the drawing you need, you also need to consider the bird population that is in your area. If you want to feed the little blue tit, there is a danger that birds such as jays, magpies or even pigeons will eat all the food for them, leaving them to starve. Therefore, you need to choose the right size of the opening, in which only small birds will fit.
What tools might be needed:
- Jigsaw. Such a portable tool greatly facilitates the work. You no longer need to cut wood with an ordinary saw or try to make small gaps with a hacksaw for metal.
- Screwdriver. When working with wood, it is better to use ordinary screws than nails.
- The corner. This computing device simply can not do. Only with the help of a corner can we measure 90 degrees as accurately as possible and normally cut a piece of plywood.
- Roulette.
The most important difficulty to consider when working with plywood is that it absorbs water very well and can be deformed. To prevent this, it is possible to treat the structure with a waterproofing composition, and preferably in two layers. It is possible to place a ready-made feeding trough on the street only after all of it has been soaked and completely dried.
Juice bags - the most affordable material for feeding troughs
Which house doesn’t have several bags of milk or juice? Every bird lover should know how to make a bird feeder from them. The process of its manufacture does not take much time and does not require special skills and abilities, as well as materials.
Let's figure out how to make a beautiful bird feeder from such a package. To do this, you will need:
- copper wire or thick fishing line;
- scissors;
- electrical tape or tape;
- black marker.
Having prepared all the necessary tools, you can begin to work.
- The first step is to thoroughly wash the box on the inside.
- On the front side with the help of a marker, we mark the contours of two holes that will be on opposite sides. They can be made different in shape: round, rectangular, square or in the form of an arch.
- Scissors cut holes along the intended contour. Do not rush to throw out the cut out elements - they will still be useful to us.
- To protect the feeder a little, you can glue the sharp edges with tape or tape.
- On four sides we make small holes (2-4 mm) with scissors.
- The cut out elements that we did not throw away must be rolled up into a tube and inserted into these openings to make a semblance of perch.
- In the upper part we make small holes and thread the wire or fishing line.
The feeder is ready. It remains to find a suitable place on the tree and pour food into it. It is necessary to fix the bird feeder so that cats or other animals do not disturb the birds during the meal. Optimum height - up to two meters. If done higher, it will be inconvenient to fill up the feed.
Milk bag feeder
Making a bird feeder is a simple job, even fun and interesting. Show your child how to make a bird feeder with your own hands. He will certainly take part in the process with great pleasure.
The fastest and lightest design is the milk bag. Often we immediately throw them away after use. The instructions on how to make a bird feeder from a milk package are quite simple and a bit like the previous one (juice bags). If you have at least one bag of milk left in your house, then you can easily make an interesting design for birds. The action plan is as follows:
- Using a marker or pencil, draw holes.
- Carefully cut using only a sharp knife.
- We glue the lower part with tape or tape.
- Cut out small holes for rope or wire from above.
- We hang the finished structure on any tree or bush that we like.
So that the feeder does not flutter from strong winds, you can attach a small weight to the bottom. This will help minimize swing power. This approach applies not only to cardboard products, but also to plastic ones. If possible, then attach the feeder to the wall of the house or outbuilding, so it will be inaccessible to cats.
Shoebox
So now you know how to make a bird feeder out of a bag of milk or juice. Let's talk about the shoe box. Most people who buy shoes are in no hurry to throw away the box, and rightly so. A material like cardboard will be very useful. What can a bird feeder be made of quickly and without cost? Of course, from a cardboard box. In fact, this is a ready-made bird canteen. The walls, the floor and even the roof are already there, it remains to slightly modify the design by cutting out the missing holes. Cardboard must be selected with the most dense and laminated coating to increase service life.
What you may find useful:
- nylon cord;
- stationery knife;
- insulating tape.
A material like cardboard has a big drawback: it is not moisture resistant. Therefore, before fixing the structure to the tree, it is necessary to wrap it with several layers of electrical tape or adhesive tape. This will make the feeder more durable and resistant to moisture. After that, you need to make small holes in the side walls and thread the nylon cord. At the bottom of the feeder, a layer of sand or small pebbles can be poured to minimize fluctuations in strong winds. Now you can fill up the food and wait for the birds.
Another option is to make a roof. To do this, cut out two square sheets of the same size and glue them to the top of our structure. Next, cut out a triangle from cardboard and close one of the sides so that the roof is not through. We bend two hooks from aluminum wire and thread them inside the roof. Thus, we get additional protection from rain and snow.
Five liter plastic bottle
Perhaps in your house there is a large plastic bottle for water. And if you do not know what a bird feeder can be made of, then use this container. It is desirable that it be a volume of five or six liters. Such a feeder will not only protect birds from rain and snow, but also accommodate a large number of different foods for birds.
If you are still thinking about how to make a simple bird feeder, then plastic eggplant is the fastest way. Ask the children to take part in this: prepare a clean bottle, a stationery knife, find the wire and prepare the grains for the birds. When cutting a hole, it is necessary to consider how the feeder will be located on the tree: horizontally or vertically.
The best option is to tie a neck over the wire. If the feeder is installed in a horizontal position, then on the surface of the wall, drill two small holes through which the wire will pass. So that the structure does not shake with the wind, you can put a piece of brick at the bottom, and pour a treat on it.
From this capacity, you can also make a hopper feeder. All you need is a marker, a strong rope and two more liter bottles.
First of all, we draw holes that will serve as a summer for birds. It is best to make one large and slightly smaller in order to fit a liter bottle into it.
The largest hole should resemble the letter “P”. The upper part will protect against water. The lower part must be sealed with a plaster or electrical tape so that the birds do not suffer.
In the liter bottle that is inside, make small holes on the bottom. These holes will pass grain a little.
We cut a small hole in the lid of a large eggplant so that, when closed, another bottle rises along its thread.
At the second liter bottle, we completely cut out the neck and the entire upper part to get a kind of funnel. We put this funnel on the first liter bottle and tightly close the lid.
The work is completed. It remains only to pour fine grain and tie the structure to a tree. Making a bird feeder at home is easy. The most important thing is desire.
Acquisition of a master-made feeder
If you do not know how to make a bird feeder with your own hands or if you don’t have time for this, then you can purchase a ready-made unique design made by a master. Such feeders look very professional, everything is thought out to the smallest detail and a lot of time and effort has been spent. The cost of such products will depend on the complexity of the design. Experienced professionals who do this all the time will not only help you choose high-quality material, but also show the unique technology that they use. You will also independently choose a design so that it harmonizes with the interior of your house and land.
But still, buying finished products, you deprive yourself of the pleasure of spending more time with children. And the price that the masters ask is quite high. Therefore, it is best to make a little effort and spend time with family, creating your own bird feeder. If you include fantasy, you can build a unique and inimitable house. From this process you will get a lot of pleasure and a good mood for the whole day. This is exactly the occupation for which it is not a pity to spend your day off.
How to hang a feeder
How to make a bird feeder, we learned. Now let's figure out where it is best to place it.
At school, students made 2 bird feeders and placed them in different places to check who would have the most birds. One manger hung on a tree, and the other was attached to the fence. There were more than ten birds near the first, and nobody near the second. But when a strong wind blew, the feeding trough that hung on the tree fell, and all the birds moved to the one that was near the fence.
Which of this is a lesson? No matter what the design on the tree is beautiful and no matter how much food there is, with a strong wind or rain, no bird will fly there. - , , : , . , , :
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- Food replenishment should not be difficult.
If you have a veranda or a gazebo where you often spend your free time, it is best to set a feeder near it. Thus, you can constantly observe birds and replenish supplies from time to time.
If the feeder is still suspended from a tree, then you should worry about a reliable mount. Dry or broken branches are not the best option. The structure must be attached so that it cannot roll over. To do this, you can attach a strong rope to the bottom of the feeder and tie a brick at the end. In this way, you can protect it from strong winds.
On a large territory, several such structures can be installed at once. Such a wise decision will help feed more birds. At the same time, you can diversify the interior of your estate. Now you can find a huge number of unique drawings and, having examined them, come up with something of your own, exclusive. You can also see photos of how to make a bird feeder. If possible, then contact the masters. The whole family can devote enough time to this business and choose the best option that everyone will like. Do not forget that you will get much more pleasure from the process of making a feeder with your own hands than from buying in a store.