With the weather getting colder, the evenings getting darker, and less of an abundance of food for our wildlife – it’s time to give them a helping hand and make food a little bit more accessible for them during these harsher months. One of the ways in which you can do that is by putting a bird feeder in your garden, if you don’t have one then why not make your own using items which you’ve probably already got:
Image supplied by Sainsbury’s Bank – Money Matters
To create this DIY bird feeder, you’ll need a 500ml plastic bottle, 2 pencils, knife or scissors, wire or string, and bird feed (opt for a mix flaked maize and sunflower seed if possible).
- Make 2 holes in the bottle, opposite each other, roughly 4cm from the bottom of the bottle. You’ll want the pencils to fit nice and securely in their place – the birds will thank you for it. Pierce 2 more holds in the bottle, slightly below the other holes and again opposite each other for the second pencil.
- Feed the two pencils through their holes at 90-degree angles.
- Pierce small holes above the perches so the birds can reach the seeds. The holes should be slightly larger than the size of the seeds.
- Pierce two holes at the top of the bottle, beneath the lid. Thread the wire or string through the holes.
- Remove the lid of the bottle and insert the bird feed.
- Tie the wire or string around a tree branch or a washing line. Keep the bird feeder as high off the ground as possible so the birds can feed safely.
We hope you found this guide on making your own bird feeder useful! If you give it a try then we would love to see some photos of it in your garden! If you’d like to find out how to help hedgehogs in your garden then read our hedgehog blog.
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