5 Easy DIY Bird Feeders & Bird Baths
Tags: Feeding Birds, Bird Feeder, DIY

Find out how to make bird baths and bird feeders to attract nature to your garden in a pinch.

Statistics say that over 85% of us are worried about climate change. Whilst the headlines are scary, there is a lot we can all do individually to help the planet, including boosting nature in our own backyard.

As well as making bug hotels and growing bee friendly flowers, we can also encourage birds to visit. Studies tell us that lots of garden birds in the UK are in decline, including the humble garden sparrow. By giving them food and water to supplement their natural diet, we help them thrive and do our bit for native species.

Lots of birds feel safer eating and drinking off the ground, safe from predators, which is why they like bird feeders. The good news is that you can make your own versions of these things for next to nothing, using these 5 easy DIY bird feeder and bath ideas:

Chipped Cup Feeder

Dig some chipped chips out of your kitchen cupboards and make a gorgeous kitsch bird feeder. All you have to do is:

● Tie some string around the handle of the cup

● Roll some lard into a ball and roll that in bird seed or mealworms

● Press the homemade fat ball into the cup

● Push in a small twig as a perch (or glue it in beforehand)

● Hang from a branch or feeder pole

Terracotta Bird Bath

Do you have some spare terracotta pots and dishes? Then this easy DIY bird bath is for you.

● Turn a medium sized terracotta pot upside down and apply superglue in circles going from outside to inside.

● Place a terracotta plant dish on top facing upwards and press down to allow it to stick.

● Fill the dish with some pebbles and stones for perching.

● Place the bath somewhere near where the birds frequent, like borders or by the bird feeder.

● Fill with fresh water and refill when the weather is hot.

Plastic Bottle Bird Feeder

Plastic is something that we all buy, even when we try to avoid it. The great news is that it can be recycled easily these days, and you can even turn it into a bird feeder, like this:

● Clean a plastic bottle and allow it to dry.

● Cute two holes in the lower half of the bottle about the size of a penny.

● Push spoons (ideally wooden) through the holes so that their handles cross over inside and the spoons sit outside, like a perch.

● Take the lid from the bottle and fill it with seed, then tighten the lid back up again.

● Tie string around the neck of the bottle.

● Hand in a suitable spot in the garden for the birds to enjoy.

Toilet Roll Bird Feeder

We all have spare toilet roll holders going spare every month so why not have some fun with them and use them to feed the birds? Here’s how:

● Poke a hole through the toilet roll in the top. third section, so there is a hole on each side.

● Poke a hole through the bottom third of the toilet roll so there is a hole in each side.

● Thread string through the top holes and and tie it, so that it has a loop handle.

● Cover the outside of the toilet rol in lard.

● Dip the covered toilet roll into seeds or mealworms.

● Push a twig through the two holes on the bottom half of the holder as a perch.

● Hang the feeder somewhere appropriate in your garden.

Vintage Bird Bath

For a rustic and charming bird bath, you can finally make use of grannies old vintage saucers lurking in the back of your self storage unit. Simply use a stake with a wide enough top level to attach a plate. You may want to sand the bottom end to a point so it can be pushed in the ground easily. An old spindle or banister piece could work well for this if you have one. Then simply glue a cute dish onto the top and fill with a few pebbles and some water. A cup on the saucer looks extra-cute, but be sure to add some pebbles inside so that insects don’t drown in it.

The tips above can help you help the birds for next to nothing. Why not try making one of the feeders or baths this weekend with the kids and see which feathered friends turn up in the coming weeks?