How to make a bird feeder easy. How to make a bird feeder with your own hands? Hanging wooden bird feeders

Scientists now unequivocally agree that there are no harmful birds at all. Even from such impudent crooks as gray crows and cormorants, as it turned out, there is still much more benefit than harm. Documented attacks by bearded eagles and lambs against climbers were caused by climbers approaching their nests; a brood is a brood, it must be protected. The second thing experts agree on is that in winter, a bird feeder is needed in residential areas. Many of the smaller and most useful of them do not make regular flights, but undertake feeding migrations in winter. Near human habitation, forage lands remain in abundance longer than in wild nature and when the real cold breaks out with starvation, there will no longer be enough strength for the flight: there will be nothing to profit on the way.

If you characterize the bird in one word, then it will be - movement. There are no and cannot be birds that fall into hibernation or otherwise save their own energy resources when adverse conditions occur: adaptation of the body to flight requires high speed metabolism. If the bird is hungry and/or cold, it becomes more and more anxious, looking for something nutritious to peck at. She does not weaken at the same time until she falls, numb, at the feet of a passerby. Take it to the veterinarians - they may come out. But it’s better, after spending a little work, to build a feeder for the winter with your own hands; almost any household waste or scraps will do for this.

Wild birds on feeders in winter

Gardeners, gardeners and summer residents who visit their site in winter will also benefit greatly: even granivorous birds, sparrows, for example, feed insects on the brood. In the spring, just in time for the hatching of the chicks, pests wake up and become more active. If you make a bird feeder in the fall and feed a useful community on the site, see Fig., Much less will be needed for plant protection products. Bird feeders, let it be known to the reader, can be made attractive to some species of birds and not very convenient to others, from which they are less useful. How exactly - this is the focus of this article. Not to the detriment, hopefully, of other aspects of the issue, such as materials, cheaper or completely free, design, etc.

What to be a feeder?

Let's start with a feeder project. Just imagine, because you don’t need to draw it up on paper and roam around the offices with serious uncles and corrosive aunts. But, firstly, you need to know where and why the winter bird canteen will be: in the city, outside the city, for temporary feeding in the very cold, or for permanent attraction of useful helpers. Secondly, who will we feed? Who to skip ahead, and who unobtrusively ask to wait? For example, if others are having a hard time, sparrows, crows, and doves will certainly be killed. They have long become accustomed to humans and will find something to profit from in the most ferocious starvation, and in the country or on the estate there will be more sense from other birds.

Having decided on the "circle of the desired clientele", we will choose the design of the feeder. Birds not only do not eat all the same things, they also take food in different ways: from the ground or a vast, solid, even support, from thick branches, twigs and tree trunks, clinging to them with their claws, from swaying thin twigs and blades of grass; the design of the feeder should provide the advantage of access to the feed for the desired guests. We do not mean birds that take food from the summer, they are all migratory. After that, we will choose the material for the feeder, preferably free, and it will be clear from it how to make it. Such is approximately the PPR (plan for the production of works).

Who will be fed?

As already mentioned, sparrows, pigeons and, especially, crows, must be dared from the feeder. What kind of birds are desirable on it? Of course, wintering in the area. They can be divided into 2 categories: the first - nomadic. They have no specific wintering grounds; where there is enough food, it is good even in winter. At the feeder they will be the most frequent guests. The second ones are obligatory, i.e. obligatory wintering at their permanent feeding stations (areas). Only extreme circumstances can drive them to the feeder: a particularly severe winter, etc. In the Central zone of the Russian Federation and in the south of Siberia, in addition to the ubiquitous stubborn sparrows, the birds depicted in rice fly to the feeder; the list with the names is below it.

Birds that you can wait for in the winter at the feeder

• nuthatch;
• pika;
• small spotted woodpecker;
• crossbill;
• jay;
• nutcracker or walnut;
• bullfinch;
• waxwing;
• common grosbeak;
• goldfinch;
• yellowhammer;
• greenfinch;
• great tit;
• blue titmouse;
• crested tit;
• Muscovite titmouse;
• long-tailed tit;
• titmouse.

The first trinity are obligate wintering insectivorous birds. Nuthatch and pika get insects from bark cracks and wood passages with specially adapted beaks. Woodpeckers are known to push their way to prey. At the feeder, you can almost certainly expect only a small spotted woodpecker: it can already be said to have become quite accustomed to people, and with a lack of animal food, it is able to feed on hard seeds. Other woodpeckers (black or yellow, large motley, green, golden or Syrian) will not fly to the feeder for anything, and if a nuthatch and / or pika appeared there, then this winter the birds are generally bad, and high-calorie food with animal fats should be given and proteins; which one - more on that later. All these birds take food by clinging to a support.

Crossbills also overwinter obligately, but feed by husking the seeds of conifers. of cones, these are the most specialized of the shelling birds, and their beak has turned into something like tongs. Even crossbills hatch chicks in the middle of winter, when there are plenty of upturned cones. Taking food from a branch or clinging to a support, in general, they don’t care, as long as it’s not from the ground. Jay with nutcracker are also huskers, but not so skillful. Kedrovka, by the way, can be seen not only in the north; sometimes she undertakes long-distance fodder migrations, during which she reaches Spain.

All shelling birds are very useful for the forest, because. contribute to the spread of trees: the crossbill loses a lot of them, restoring the existing forest, and the jay with the nutcracker arrange storehouses of seeds that are not fully used, or even completely forgotten. Thus, the forest spreads. Forestry specialists are confident that without nutcrackers, maintaining stocks of Siberian pine (Siberian cedar) would be impossible. In addition, jays with nutcrackers destroy a lot of wintering harmful insects.

You can bring shelling birds to the site, but they need a special type of home-made feeders, see below. Peeler feeders are also sold ready-made, but there is nothing in them that you could not do yourself. For crossbills, in case of a bad harvest of cones, they will also fit, however, having fed, they will fly back to the forest.

Note: just in case, let us remind you: insectivorous forest birds and stubblers fly to people for food in the most extreme case, and then they definitely need to be offered nutritious high-calorie food. Along the way, they will thoroughly clean the garden-garden from wintering harmful trifles.

Bullfinch, waxwing, grosbeak and goldfinch are considered predominantly frugivorous birds. This is not a mistake, this is not about flesh, but about juicy fruits and berries. Their bones in the digestive tract of these birds, as a rule, are not digested, but the germination of seeds after such treatment increases. That is, frugivorous birds contribute to the spread of berry bushes and trees. However, frugivorous birds feed chicks with insects, but for now / when there is no harvest, they themselves do not disdain them. Actually, frugivorous birds of middle latitudes can be considered bird-like omnivores, because. Animal feed makes up a large proportion of their diet. The goldfinch can generally consume more insects than vegetable feed. In the extermination of wintering pests, they complement insectivorous and stubblers, because. they, as a rule, do not take prey completely open and motionless, for example. pupae.

It is advisable to introduce frugivorous birds to the site, but with caution. A good bait will be pieces of soft juicy plant food placed on the roof of the feeder: apple cores with seeds, pumpkin, cucumber. However, before putting the bait, you need to take a closer look at those who are eating: if a grosbeak is seen among them, it is better to refuse to bait. In the spring, he pecks out swelling buds and in some places has become a real scourge of gardens and orchards. Later, the grosbeak more than compensates for the damage by destroying huge quantities May beetles and cabbage caterpillars, but still it is not necessary to promote its excessive reproduction.

Note: sometimes it is advised, as a winter vitamin supplement, to put twigs in the feeder that have stood at home in the water until the buds swell. It is not necessary, like any other seedlings, and even absolutely useful tits, they can learn to “bear oak”. The best vitamin food for birds in winter is apple and pear cores with seeds, fibrous pumpkin core with seeds, viburnum brushes, mountain ash, elderberries, dried rose hips, cherries (can be made from compote) and grape seeds. Read more about feeds below.

Fruit-eating birds take food from the ground and clinging to a support, so that the feeder for them can be anything, except for a swinging suspension, see below. They are stronger and stronger than sparrows, but not so impudent, so tits are not competitors if there is enough food. Most often there are carduelis on the feeder; they are close to becoming obligate hibernating human symbionts. Here it is useful to remember Saint-Exupery: "We are responsible for those whom we have tamed."

Siskins, buntings and greenfinches are granivorous birds. Grass seedlings have nothing to fear from them: they prefer the seeds of wild herbs. The chicks are fed with insects. Food is taken from the ground and from a swinging twig / blade of grass. They are friends with tits, but sparrows need to be discouraged from their feeder: granivorous small, not very strong and non-aggressive birds.

Note: the author is deeply convinced that the old song about the chizhik-pyzhik, who drank vodka on the Fontanka, was composed not only as a mockery of the cadets of some of the elite cadet corps, who wore yellow and black uniforms. In nature, the siskin really does look somewhat drowsy-haughty, like a novice drunk-major who has just grabbed (tipped, grunted, missed, rolled, chilled, overturned, etc., etc.) a stopar or two, see fig. on right. That does not prevent him from being bird-like careful and prudent.

Finally, a swarm of tit birds that only steal wheat from the house that Jack built. In fact, insects are an indispensable and significant part of their diet, and of various sizes. If the great and crested tits are able to cope with locusts, then the long-tailed titmouse is not averse to pecking at aphids with spider mites. The tits have become quite accustomed to people, you don’t need to bring them in, they will fly by themselves. Top dressing in ordinary winter should be given vegetable dry, and in severe frost - highly nutritious, like other insectivores. Then, having missed the winter on the dry land, the titmouse in the spring will take on pests, not allowing them to stretch their mandibles properly, and thus immediately there will be no time for germination with crops. And whoever survives in this beak slaughter will no longer be able to cause significant harm to the crop. Tits can take food from the thinnest twigs fluttered by the wind; they have only one evolutionary step left to learn to take food from the summer. This facilitates the creation of specialized titmouse canteens.

What about sparrows?

Sparrows are useful no less than other granivorous, but they are impudent, sneaky, keep in flocks. And the usual bird feeder, unlike crows and pigeons, is quite suitable for them in size. Sparrows take food mainly from the ground, but they are not afraid from branches either. Therefore, they are able to eat other birds, when feeding is a matter of life and death for them, while the chirping rascals themselves, in the meantime, could somehow hold out somehow. So it is advisable to arrange a winter bird feeder in such a way that sparrows fly to it only if the wind is walking in the goiter.

Schematic of a bird feeder unattractive to sparrows

Here you can use their caution and manner to avoid danger. If you have noticed, the sparrows are running away, starting from a place steeply upwards. Therefore, a feeder with low entrances (windows for birds to feed) and a steep roof with large overhangs is unattractive for sparrows: in order to escape from there, you must first flutter to the side, and this is not sparrow-like. An “anti-robin” feeder can be made according to the pattern of a chicken feeder, the diagram in fig. Let's look at other options next.

Types of feeders

When choosing the type of feeder, in addition to the species composition of the guests, you need to keep in mind the following:

• Birds are guided mainly by sight; their hearing is rather weak, and the sense of smell, one might say, is none. Therefore, the food must be visible from afar.
• Food must be protected from wind blowing, snowing and eating away by unwanted visitors like squirrels or chipmunks.
• It is also advisable to avoid spilling food on the ground, so as not to give "beacons" to small predators. By the way, the most dangerous of them are not cats, domestic and wild, but much more cunning, ferocious and bloodthirsty ferrets, weasels and ermines. There are a lot of them near housing, but they are very good at staying out of sight.
• Feeders for temporary feeding in winter are best hung up, so they will attract sparrows less.
• Stationary feeders for grafting birds to the site must be placed on poles with protection from predators, see below. Birds flying to feed will recognize the site as their own if they find food on a sufficiently large, even, stable area.

Based on all of the above, and let's see which winter bird feeders are better in which case. Their main types are shown in Fig.:

Types of winter feeders for wild birds

1 - feeder-suspension. Just food on a string or in a mesh case. A typical blue bird feeder in case of extreme cold. Of other birds, forest insectivores, except for woodpeckers, can visit it. Top dressing - "antifreeze" for tits - just a piece of unsalted fat, pos. 1 next. rice. A more nutritious option, also designed for shellers, is a ball of seed mix (see below), held together with hardened visceral fat (lard) or peanut butter in a vegetable net, pos. 2. However, it is not necessary to pour the feed mass into plastic cups or beautiful shapes and freeze (pos. 6.7), it is difficult for birds to cling and calories from feeding may not compensate for the energy consumption for maintaining themselves by fluttering wings. A ball from the finished mass must be sculpted by hand in the cold; the fat solidifies quickly, and the ball can be hung up immediately.

Feeders for tits

A hanging feeder can be made for certain types of birds. For example, great tits willingly peck at garlands of dried berries (especially rose hips) or peanut pods, pos. 3, 4. But the blue tit is very fond of swinging, and the balls for them need to be hung on the thinnest and most elastic twigs, or even designed in an original way in the form of mobile sculptures, or mobiles, pos. 5. Great tits will also fly there, but they do not fight with blue titmouse.

For shelling birds, bullfinches and waxwings, hanging top dressing from a cone will be good; for visibility, it’s good to supplement it with a bunch of viburnum or mountain ash, pos. 1 on the next fig.:

Cone hanging feeder

If there is no fruiting cone, any disheveled one will do: it is doused with peanut butter (pos. 2), solid food is stuffed between the scales (pos. 3), and hung up. Bird lovers and animal photographers, hanging cone baits since the summer, manage to make even crossbills their regular guests.

Paper hanging feeders

A hanging feeder for any birds that feed from a swinging support can be whipped up out of paper. In fact, paper is not a material for winter feeders: it sags, pecks. But a spool from a roll of toilet paper, smeared with the same peanut butter and sprinkled with seeds (see the figure on the right), can save more than one feathered poor fellow right in front of your eyes, and you can make such a feeder in just 5 minutes. The colored tails below are not a whim, they are visible to birds from afar and attract their attention. It is better to make tails red and / or green: for birds, red is berries, and where there is greenery in winter, there is food.

2 - platform. The advantage is that the food is clearly visible. Disadvantages: the snow falls asleep, the wind inflates, a lot of it wakes up down, the sparrows are at home on it.

Feeder house out of the box

3 - house. The feed is protected from snow; by choosing the roof structure, the feeder-house can be made windproof and anti-sparrow. But there is still a lot of food waking up, and only birds that are used to feeding will come to dine. Foresters, reaching for housing in an extreme situation, may simply not see what is there, and crash down dead in two steps. A feeder house with a sloping roof can also be whipped up out of the box, as shown in fig. on right. If circumstances allow, then it is advisable to soak the box with three to five times diluted PVA (it is still useful for cardboard feeders), and glue the supports from sticks / twigs. Then the building will be enough for more than one winter. This feeder is nailed to the tree.

Note: the platform feeder can be turned into a house and back as needed (weather, etc.), by attaching a removable roof made of thin hard plastic, see fig. left. PET from cut bottles, sewn with fishing line or stapled with a stapler is well suited, but thin polycarbonate will also work. In the latter case, it is necessary to nail slats with grooves from the sides of the site and push and pull the roof into them.

Feeder house for strong birds

The feeder house with a shed roof is also convenient for fairly large and strong birds: pigeons, waxwings, jays, nutcrackers. All of them do not mind feeding in a row, so a dining house for them needs to be made with a perch. Material - any suitable, incl. and processed cardboard as a substitute for wood, see below. The feeder for these birds should be larger than for small birds; for approximate dimensions see fig. on right. It is tempting to build something similar quickly from a shoe box, on the sidebar there, but this one will not last long: strong active birds will tear and peck at weak material for a feeding or two.

4 - bunker. Optimal in all respects, including antisparrow. The fact is that sparrows are flocking birds. If the flock does not fit on the feeding area, 1-2 sparrows will not “run into” oatmeal with chickadees either: they will eat in a strange company, but in turn and respecting decency.

Homemade bird feeders

Homemade bunker feeders come in different designs, see fig. In the center - a special one for tits and small spotted woodpeckers (hard narrow area, see below). She and the one on the right are anti-sparrow. Modern materials allow the manufacture of such an effective feeder as a bunker, lay in 5 minutes. How is clear from Fig. on right.

Making a bunker bird feeder from a bottle

Materials - PET bottle, plastic plate, nylon thread, superglue. Tools - scissors, knife, gypsy needle. And this feeder will last more than one winter.

5.6 - tray. The food is not visible well, so these are feeders for familiar and familiar birds. What is better to do in front of the notch, the landing area or the perch-six, depends on the type of feeding; which is more convenient for whom, we will see further in the course of the presentation. They are divided into designs with free access to food (5 in the figure at the beginning of the section) and its automatic supply to the nutrient tray (6 in the same place). The latter are even better than bunkers: the feed practically does not wake up. We will deal with them in more detail later. A pan feeder can be designed to accommodate only one or a few bird species (6), but this requires serious knowledge of ornithology, appropriate tools and skills; specialized tray feeders are commercially available in a fairly wide range.

Note: if the canteen is planned to be publicly accessible, the food in it can be made clearly visible by making the hopper completely or partially transparent from plastic.

7 - specialized feeder-huller for birds of the appropriate type of food. The feed is held in place by a metal mesh. It can be combined with a tray and thus become combined.

Materials and designs
Plastic

The most popular plastic feeders today. There are several reasons: empty, useless plastic containers have nowhere to go, transparent plastic allows you to make food visible from afar, working with plastic is easy, not garbage and can be done at home without special tools. Plastics are durable, racks, bird feeders from them will last for more than one year and can be made of any type.

Plastic bird feeders

If you will make a house feeder out of plastic, pos. 1 in Fig., please note that the roof must be matte and generally opaque. Wild birds, of course, are smarter than tame canaries and parrots, but when they see a creeping cat (or, say, the shine of an objective lens), they can hit a transparent one with a fright.

Good small plastic feeders are made from used toys: cubes, etc. They are made from polyethylene, so the only reliable way to glue, for example, a roof is instant cyanoacrylate glue (superglue). Feeders are clearly visible, all birds are curious to some extent, so there are no problems with the visibility of food. Round holes in polyethylene are easily cut with a ballerina compass with two needles. Homemade in pos. 2 for complete bird happiness, only perches are missing: polyethylene is slippery.

At pos. 3 and 4 already purchased plastic feeders. Just for your information: the house at pos. 3 costs 180 rubles, and a transparent "firm" in pos. 4 - three times more. But the same feeder can be glued together from scraps of polycarbonate and provided, if you really want a window, with suction cups for bathroom shelves.

Feeders from unusable plastic containers deserve special consideration, see fig. below. Very well thought out design on pos. 1. A wide tray provides good visibility of the feed, and in combination with a perch, it allows all birds to feed. The large capacity of the tray and the corresponding supply of food in it do not require the frequent approach of the breadwinners, which is less frightening for the birds. The trough-shaped form of the tray ensures minimal spillage of feed. The wing hatches bent upwards give an anti-sparrow effect; the platform formed by them on top allows you to put juicy vitamin top dressing.

Bird feeders from unusable containers

Feeders on pos. 2 and 3 are focused on tits, goldfinches and granivorous. The main thing in them is a properly arranged dispenser tray, see below. Feeders are simpler for the same tribe, pos. 4 and 5, you can hang if the sparrows are not very annoying. At pos. 4, a container from computer disks went, this is more for a trifle like a siskin, and a food point from a bucket of sour cream (pos. 5) will also feed bullfinches with waxwings.

Plastic can also include feeders from used containers from liquid products. Milk and kefir bags, however, are cardboard, but they are laminated with a film on both sides, so they will last the winter. Well, bottles and eggplants, they are made of PET. Small milk-juice bags make excellent feeders for tits, goldfinches, granivorous, you just need to insert a perch stick, pos. 1 next. rice. For the same birds, if baklaga is involved, you need to cut openings in the vessel about 6x8 cm, each from 3 sides, not reaching 3-4 cm to the bottom, and bend the valves outward, pos. 2.

Bird feeders from bags and bottles

If instead of shaky valves, a hard wooden circle is screwed to the bottom of the dishes, then you can count on the visits of the small motley woodpecker. He won’t sit on a blue valve: what kind of woodpecker will he be if he doesn’t grab a tree with his claws?

From large packages, public canteens are obtained, then the openings need to be cut out more so that the food can be seen from afar. In the case when the feeder is suspended in free space, it is also necessary to pierce it with a perch, pos. 4. When placed in a bush as perches for tits, its branches are enough, pos. 5, and sparrows will be uncomfortable here.

Baklaga and tray ...

How to make a bird feeder out of plastic eggplant

How to make a feeder from a plastic eggplant and a 0.25-0.5 liter bottle is shown in fig. on right. The hook at the bottom is optional, hanging food can be hung on it, see above. However, for other types of feeders, the bottle dispenser tray may be too large. In this case, it can be glued from cardboard or several layers of paper impregnated with diluted PVA, see next. rice.:

The device of the bird feeder tray from the eggplant

The yellow arrows show the paths of food movement. To make him wake up less, the inner end of the perch stick should reach the rear edge of the tray; Of course, you can pierce the vessel through them. The arrows in the center of the circle give the scale horizontally and vertically, i.e. the letok will be 6 cm in diameter, this is enough for birds no larger than the great tit.

... and a package house

Feeder-house from juice bags

From 2 bags of juice, a good blue-tit house feeder is obtained, see fig. on right. The whole structure is fastened with tubes-straws from the same juice, their protruding ends will be perches. So that the perches do not bend (the corrugation of the straw remains outside), it is advisable to insert thin twigs into the tubes; can be broken off right there on the spot.

Wooden feeders are good for their durability: impregnated with drying oil, water-polymer emulsion or its substitute in the form of diluted PVA and painted, they serve for years. Therefore, wooden feeders are most often made stationary. Of course, for their manufacture, you will also need a carpentry tool with a separate workplace.

A simple homemade wooden bird feeder

The traditional design of a wooden feeder is a house. A view of the simplest home-made wooden feeder with dimensions is shown in fig. left. However, firstly, such a feeder does not protect the food from weathering, because. the space under the flat roof is blown through. Secondly, by seemingly slightly changing the configuration and proportions of parts, it is possible to specialize the feeder quite strongly. For example, pos. 1 in fig. below is public. Pos. 2 will attract shelling birds: landing on slats protruding to the side and pulling seeds through the crate will give a complete illusion of the usual feeding process. Pos. 3 and 4 - with a weakened blowing of food and a noticeable anti-sparrow effect, for small and larger birds, respectively. Pos. 5 - almost windproof and fundamentally anti-sparrow: a sparrow that has retained common sense will fly into this only in the most extreme case.

Winter bird feeders made of wood

Winter hanging wooden feeders are more convenient and easier to make from plywood and bars of about 30x30 or 30x40 mm. Here you can do without lumber at all by gluing PVA bars from strips of the same plywood. However, stationary feeders on poles will be more durable from solid wood, tk. outdoor plywood, except for expensive waterproof birch, after a season or two begins to delaminate with any impregnation.

Drawings of a stationary wooden bird feeder

For an example in fig. above - a drawing of a country, landscape gardening or forest feeder for all types of birds. A tin tray on a pole not only keeps predators out, but also serves as a sparrow dining room. The lifting liner (it slides freely on the pole) makes cleaning easier and allows birds of one species to feed from their recess while leaving others to others. On a pole under the roof, you can hang nets or cones with food for stubblers, and hanging food for tits can be hung at the corners of the site. Roof for ease of maintenance is removable, on hooks.

wooden special

Double Decker Hanging Bird Feeder

A hanging analogue of such a feeder, as it is now customary to express it, with a simplified functionality, is shown in fig. on right. The diameter of the floor platforms is about 500 mm. The ledges on the middle platform are convenient for birds looking at the food before starting to eat. In this case, the upper platform is intended for sparrows: these troublemakers will scatter food anyway, so you can do without a side, although it will not hurt.

On fig. below - wooden feeders, bunker and tray, which can be turned into combined, suitable for stubblers. The fact is that in these designs, to improve the visibility of the feed, the bunkers are made with glazed windows. Replacing the glass with a steel mesh with a mesh of about 5x5 mm will enable the stubblers to pull out the seeds while the rest are pecking from the trays or from the site.

Wooden bird feeders with good food visibility

How to do without a tree

Wooden feeders look better than plastic homemade ones, they are easier to adapt to the needs of both the bird and the owner. But what to do if there is no woodworking tool or you don’t want to start carpentry in the house with its sawdust and shavings?

A feeder that is not inferior to wood in terms of convenience, appearance and can last at least 3-4 seasons can be made from corrugated cardboard from packing boxes that have become unnecessary. Of course, it will take more time, but all you need from the tool is a pencil, a ruler, a square, a sharp knife, scissors, an awl, PVA glue and a brush for it. The technology is similar to the manufacture of cardboard shelves:

Making a Corrugated Board Wooden Board Substitute

• For each part, 2-5 pieces are cut out, depending on the required thickness, of blanks-layers of the same size, but with an internal corrugation oriented alternately along and across, see fig. on right;
• Each face is impregnated on one side and the other with a water-polymer emulsion. It is not sold in small packaging, but its full-fledged replacement is PVA diluted with water three to five times. This work must be done on a plastic sheet;
• A day later (if the plates were dried at room temperature), the part is glued with PVA in the same order: corrugation along / corrugation across, see the same figure;
• The part is dried on a film, while it is also covered with a film on top and pressed down with several books, covering evenly its entire area;
• The feeder is assembled on the same PVA glue;
• After drying, the end connections are reinforced with studs from toothpicks or pointed matches without heads: the holes for the studs are pricked with an awl from top to bottom, a drop of glue is introduced into each and the stud is immediately pressed in;
• Open ends are sealed with strips of plain cardboard or thick paper soaked in diluted PVA;
• After 3-4 days of drying, the product can be painted, varnished, openings can be made with plastic, mesh can be attached, etc.

Original feeders

Anyone who undertook to make, wants to do something of their own, unusual and unique. Unusual feeders can be divided into original according to the technique of execution or some functional features and simply beautiful, designer ones. One to the other, of course, is not a hindrance in any way, if only the hands were in place.

The first few, say, technical-functional, are shown in Fig.:

Original bird feeders

Pos. 1 - special for cultivators, frugivorous and large granivorous. The cob is put on a nail driven through the bottom. It should be noted here that corn should be hard, fodder or oilseed varieties, with smaller grains. Table sugar will harm the birds: there is too much starch and sugar in its grains.

Pos. It does not require 2 comments: over the summer, ice cream sticks have been accumulated, then - PVA, strings, and that's it. If you make a hearth on each side, then 4 siskins or chickadees will be able to feed at once. Pos. 3 woven from paper tubes. The work is difficult and laborious, especially when you consider that they need to be well protected from deoxidation. However, judging by the fact that as many as 3 great tits feed in such a small area and another one is waiting in line, the birds really like this creation.

Putting a mark on the end of the rope

Finally, pos. 4, from a can. Here it would not hurt to lay a perch from a stick in the braid instead of a slippery cold piece of iron. The manufacturing technology completely allows this: the bank is tied with a rope in the same way that sailors, riggers, or, say, high-altitude fitters, put a mark on the end of the cable, see fig. on right.

If we take decorative feeders, then there are no restrictions on design: bright colors of birds do not scare away, they can easily distinguish a painted cat from a living one, and even peck the image in revenge; Let's just give a few examples in Fig.:

Decorative bird feeders

According to the execution technique, it is better to avoid varnished and shiny surfaces, as in pos. 1. It is more difficult for claws to catch on smooth, grains dodge from the beak, and glare cuts sensitive bird eyes.

Pumpkin feeders for wild birds do not fit into any classification, but for birds it is a real paradise: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins with microelements - all in one and in sufficient quantity for all. Plus, a strong and at the same time supple support under the claws. It is not necessary to make something like a house out of a pumpkin or cut a scarecrow face on it, as in the figure: it is enough to remove a piece of skin from one side to the pulp, and even before spring only the peel will remain from the pumpkin. Perhaps suitable for entertaining crafts.

Pumpkin bird feeders

What to feed wild birds?

It remains to decide what kind of bird food to put in the feeder. The best food for all wintering birds is the seeds of wild grasses, especially burdock. Songbird lovers and ornithologists have been collecting turnip seed since the summer or buying it at pet stores. Further, in order of preference by birds and benefits to them:

Note: if there is an opportunity to buy in a pet store, the so-called. canary seed or budgerigar seed mix is ​​just what any bird in the feeder needs.

Wheat, rye and bread from them should be avoided: the bird's body is not adapted to process excess starch. Black bread is especially dangerous: it causes inflammation of the goiter, which often leads to the death of the bird. Perfectly dry crumbs of white bread can be given to pigeons and fruit-eating birds. The same applies to all cereals that swell strongly during cooking: barley (barley), rice, buckwheat. With corn, as mentioned above, you need to be careful. In general, it must be borne in mind that wild birds are smaller than hens with ducks, and their digestion is unusual for homemade food.

Note: the peel of citrus and tropical fruits - bananas, mangoes, avocados, mangosteens, sapodillas, etc. is a deadly poison for our birds. It's about sugars.

Of the vitamin dressings, the best, as already mentioned, are brushes and bunches of wild berries. In addition to the mentioned mountain ash, viburnum, elderberry, barberry, currant, chokeberry, juniper are willingly pecked. In the southern regions - cotoneaster, berries of "wild grapes" (cissus), boxwood. Bones of table grapes, cherries and cherries from compote, melon and watermelon seeds (not pulp!), cores of apples and pears with seeds, grated raw carrots are also an excellent vitamin top dressing. Whole fruits should not be given: having fed on them, even the most principled tit will not resist the temptation to peck at them in the summer in the garden.

An important component of the bird's diet is mineral supplements and solid inclusions that grind food in the stomach. The most important mineral is calcium. Its source on the feeder is finely crushed eggshell. It must be given without fail if you want the winter eaters to nest right there in the spring. Even birds, like domestic chickens, need sand. It needs to be sprinkled little by little, always river rounded and the smallest.

So, a certain young man with an active-destructive mindset heard in the winter that black bread and banana peels are deadly for birds. He immediately set to work: he was not too lazy and put together a feeder, dried and finely ground banana peels. Then he forked out for a loaf of "Borodinsky" for 40 rubles. at the then price, crumbled it too. He mixed everything, hung up the feeder, poured bird poison into it.

The next morning, he went, anticipating the "task", to see how many of them were lying dead with swollen goiters. It turned out - not a single one, the food was not touched. Before the unlucky terrorist had time to decide what he should think about this, flocks fell from the surrounding trees and showered Grisha with “business cards”. Separate "cards" merged into a continuous blanket, and a bunch formed on the head. Since then, the poor fellow carefully and cautiously bypasses even flocks of sparrows on the pavement.

Wild animals and birds that live in nature cannot count on the fact that in winter someone will help them in the same way as their domesticated "brothers". However, many people understand this and try to provide all possible assistance during the winter cold.

Benefits for you and the birds

Caring people are well aware of how difficult this time is for our smaller brothers, since starting from late autumn, it is becoming increasingly difficult for many of them to find food. Of course, with all the desire, it is not so easy to help those of them who live in the forest or in a remote area. However, if you live in a city, town or village, then everything is in your power. Today we will talk about bird feeders. It is quite possible to make them, and we are talking about using improvised means, old packaging and containers, as well as other materials that, in any case, would most likely be thrown into a landfill.

By the way, having “trained” the birds in your feeder located on the site, in addition to the feeling that you are helping them, saving them from hunger in the difficult season, you get some kind of additional “bonuses”:

• Birds will get used to your site and will begin to live on it and next to it more often. Thus, they will constantly delight you with their games, fuss and chirping, filling the surrounding space with vital energy.
• Quite often it happens that in the summer the birds return a kind of debt to you, destroying the numerous insects and pests that live in almost every garden or vegetable garden.

Wood is a reliable material!

In today's article, we have provided photos of many options that will help with ideas on how to make a bird feeder with your own hands. As a rule, in order to implement the project of such a feeder, you do not need complex projects and drawings.

Attention! You can feed birds not only in winter, but also in summer, especially if you live in a country house or in a private house.

Before considering the basic ideas for making feeders, let's talk about some of the features of the choice of material, as well as about the places where you can hang or attach such a homemade structure.

Choice of material and installation location

Before choosing a place for a feeder, it will be very useful to learn the most common types of birds that live in our latitudes.

1. Nuthatch; 2. pika; 3. small spotted woodpecker; 4. crossbill; 5. jay; 6. nutcracker or walnut; 7. bullfinch; 8. waxwing; 9. common grosbeak; 10. goldfinch; 11. siskin; 12. common oatmeal; 13. greenfinch; 14. great tit; 15. titmouse; 16. crested tit; 17. Muscovite tit; 18. long-tailed tit; 19. titmouse.

Traditionally, it is considered that the bird feeder should be in the form of a kind of house, which would be somewhat similar to a birdhouse. And in fact, such a configuration is optimal in order to organize a place for feeding birds there. Consider the advantages of this form:

• The roof allows you to create protection from rain and snow.
• Such a construction, made of plywood or wood, is strong, durable and reliable.
• She will not look alien, since we are talking about landscape design and external attractiveness of the entire site.

However, you should not be limited only to this form, as well as the fact that only wood can be used as a material. In fact, both the configuration and the material can be completely different.

The main thing is that the feeder meets the basic requirements:

1. The material from which the feeder is made must be stable and not deform over time. In other words, a birdhouse made of cardboard or similar improvised means is not good. It simply will not withstand difficult weather conditions: rain, sleet, etc.
2. At the same time, you can, in extreme cases, make a small feeder from a container of juice or dairy products (kefir, milk, etc.). Tetra pak and similar cartons in much more, compared to ordinary cardboard, is adapted to the effects of moisture on it. However, such structures cannot be classified as durable. On the other hand, they are quite suitable as a temporary solution, which, under favorable circumstances, can serve you for a whole season. At the same time, it is necessary to understand that the feeder from the milk bag will fit only for small birds, since large ones simply will not fit in it.
3. By the way, it follows from the previous paragraph following output: the material must be durable and stable, since it must withstand not only the autumn-winter bad weather, but also the weight of the birds themselves, some of which are quite massive. In addition, keep in mind that wear and tear will also occur due to the constant impact of their claws, since they will usually sit down in a carved opening (“window”).
4. By the way, since we are talking about a window, an entrance (this technological hole can be called, in fact, whatever you like), then you need to understand that its edges should not be sharp, because, otherwise, birds can injure their paws about them.

Location

In addition to the material, as well as manufacturing technology, you need to understand that the place where you install or hang the bird feeder is also an important point. So, if possible, it is necessary to avoid installation in places where birds will have difficulty accessing. We are talking about thick branches and other similar places.

In addition, pay attention to the fact that the feeder is located in a place that is hard to reach for cats, which, as you know, are excellent hunters, living in large numbers in villages, cottages, as well as in cottages and private housing estates.

Advice! Place the feeder in an open space, in places that are easily visible to birds.

Popular Ideas

Let's look at the main ideas of how best to make a bird feeder with your own hands, looking at "live" examples of how many people have implemented their projects. There can be many feeders, and the options for their manufacture are countless. However, they are all made for the same purpose. So, here are the main types of structures of this kind.

The dispenser is a very useful device for feeding birds. In addition, the bottle can be hung vertically "upside down"

Wooden house

To make such a design is quite realistic and independently. There is no need to have any specific skills or knowledge. As a rule, improvised or unnecessary boards, pieces of logs and many other wooden elements are used in such work. Taking planks or veneer as a basis, main task is their strong connection.

By the way, wooden bird feeders can be used not only for feeding yard birds. Similar designs are also used in chicken coops, when feeding chickens and other poultry. However, this is, as they say, a completely different story.

Plywood feeder

Such a design can be made with your own hands right at home. To do this, you do not need any special tools or conditions. In this case, of course, you will have to find drawings of feeders. On the other hand, you can make a drawing with dimensions yourself, since there is nothing particularly difficult in its development. For getting additional ideas We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the photos and examples of finished work.

Bunker feeder

This type of construction, so to speak, "migrated" from Agriculture. One of its main advantages is that it allows you to exclude the "discrimination" of some bird species by others. You yourself probably noticed that often a flock of birds alone, for example, sparrows or tits, takes an advantageous position in the immediate vicinity of the food (seeds, bread crumbs, grains, cereals, loaves, etc.) or even in the feeder itself and tends to prevent other birds from reaching such a valuable resource.

Therefore, it becomes an important task to limit the area on which feathered friends can feed. Therefore, in such cases, homemade bunker feeders, also known as anti-sparrow feeders, can come in handy.

Plastic bottle feeders

Canister feeder - too great option

This type of design is extremely simple, so everyone, including children, can make it on their own. In order to make it, you only need to cut one or two holes in the bottle in order to pour bird food inside, and in fact, so that the birds have the opportunity to get inside. Of course, you need to be careful, because the holes should be, if possible, as even and symmetrical as possible.

Interesting! If you have time and desire, you can additionally decorate the feeder with natural materials, or apply inscriptions.

Let's take a closer look at the features of the work in the presence of bottles of different sizes. The fact is that the most common source materials in such cases are:

So, if you use the first option, then you can choose between two types of structures. In the first case, it is about making holes in both sides of the bottle. They can have different shapes: round, rectangular or square.

In the second case, you can make a special visor that would cover the hole, protecting it from snow. In order to make it, you just need to cut a U-shaped hole, leaving one side (upper). After that, this section of the bottle is bent up, thus forming a kind of visor. By the way, this can also be done on both sides.

For more convenience for the birds, you can make two small holes under the main openings and insert a long stick into them, on which they can perch before getting inside. As for the lower edge of the main holes, for greater security, it is advisable to glue it with tape or tape in several layers. Also suitable and fabric adhesive tape. Thus, a do-it-yourself feeder is made from plastic containers of a relatively small volume.

Even easier, you can make a feeder from a 5-liter bottle. The fact is that the walls are often straight, which allows you to cut a more even hole. Plus, more seeds and crumbled loaf are placed in such a container, and it is more convenient for birds to fly inside. For crafting, you will need a knife or strong scissors.

If the plastic bottle is mounted horizontally, then holes can be cut in place of the bottom and neck. If you plan to fix it vertically, then you can cut 2, 3 or even 4 holes from different sides if you are working with a bottle that has a square or rectangular section. This, by the way, will allow several birds to fly in and feed at once. For round bottles, 2-3 holes can be cut. By the way, on the basis of a large bottle of 5 liters and above, you can also make a bunker feeder.

On a note! It is advisable to cut the holes at a height of at least 5 centimeters from the bottom, maybe a little more.

Such a feeder is attached quite simply: you can tie it either by the neck or by the handle, which is integral part covers using twine or thin wire. This is if we talk about vertical options. With horizontal fixation, it is best to make 2 parallel small holes (they can be made with a knife or other sharp object), passing through them the wire or rope that is needed for fastening.

In any case, this option is very affordable, since almost everyone has at their disposal unnecessary 5-liter water bottles. Sample photos show various options for how this can be done.

Bird feeder from a milk or juice bag

5 minutes - and a new feeder from a juice bag - ready

Everyone has boxes of juice or milk. We usually throw them away. The manufacturing technology is extremely simple, and in some way resembles the previous one (with plastic bottles). So, if you want to make a bird feeder from a juice or milk bag, the sequence of your actions may be as follows:

• We outline future holes using a pen, marker or felt-tip pen.
• Carefully cut them out using scissors or a sharp knife.
• We glue the underside of the opening with tape or adhesive tape.
• We make small holes for the rope or wire at the top of the package.
• We hang the resulting feeder from a tree branch, lilac or other places.

The easiest and fastest option from a milk bag

By the way, in some cases you can put a weight on the bottom or attach to it in the form of a brick fragment or something similar. This will minimize swaying in case of strong winds. This applies not only to paper boxes, but also plastic bottles.

Remember! In some cases, you can attach the feeder to the wall.

Using a shoebox

By the way, a bird feeder from a shoe box is made in the same way. Of course, the fact that it is made of cardboard does not allow making such a feeder durable. On the other hand, some of the boxes are made of fairly durable and moisture-resistant cardboard. Moreover, you can additionally cover the cardboard with tape, which will further increase its protection from the effects of bad weather conditions. This will increase the life of the feeder to some extent, although, in any case, it will not be as durable as its counterparts made of wood, cardboard and even plastic.

The manufacturing technology itself is extremely simple and does not require any special instructions. You just need to make the necessary cuts on the sides of the box and also fix the lid. This can also be done with tape.

Other options

Of course, all these types of feeders are the most common and popular. However, it makes sense to talk about alternative options. The first of these is a feeder made from tableware.

By the way! You can also make a drinker out of dishes, which is also very important for birds.

Such original products are made from a cup and saucer. If you add a deep plate, you can make both a feeder and a drinker at the same time. Some craftsmen make feeders from old buckets, usually plastic ones. They turn out to be large, which somewhat limits the possibilities for their installation, which, of course, is a certain disadvantage. The advantage is the same: the size of such a product is quite large. This allows you to pour more feed. In addition, several birds can feed at the same time. We must not forget about the strength of such a design.

Bird feeders in winter help to save birds from hunger. However, this is not the only reason why you should start making them.

By themselves, beautiful and original feeders can become a unique decoration for your garden.

And the process of their creation instills in the younger generation a sense of responsibility and concern for weak creatures.

In addition, this is an invaluable time that allows parents to spend time with their children with interest and benefit.

Wooden bird feeders

There are several types of feeders that can be made from wood. Firstly, these are feeders that look like a base made of plywood or other similar material with sides around the edges that prevent treats for birds from crumbling.

Most often, such a design is suspended from a tree branch on thick ropes.

But such a feeder has a number of disadvantages. The most obvious is that such a design does not protect the feed poured into it from precipitation and bad weather. It is also quite light and can move or roll over with the wind.

The second version of wood feeders is more like a house and has a roof. In such feeders, the food is reliably protected from the weather. The base of the structure looks the same as in the first version, only there are supports on it that support the roof.

The roof can be either straight or pitched. Any child can make a straight roof, because in fact it is a rectangular piece of plywood, only slightly larger than the base.

The pitched roof has a slightly more complex design, but it better themes that, unlike a straight roof, snow does not accumulate on it and it does not have to be cleaned periodically.

There are also original options for feeders made of wood. For example, a feeder can be made from an ordinary log. To do this, you will need a chainsaw, a chisel and a hammer, as well as a chain and rings for hanging.

To begin with, you need to saw off two round logs from the log on both sides of the future feeder. Then a wedge is cut along the entire log, and longitudinal and transverse cuts are made, not reaching the bark of about 5 centimeters.

This is necessary in order to subsequently make it easier to extract the middle from the workpiece with a chisel. After all the work is done, the previously cut rounds are nailed on both sides of the feeder.

It remains only to screw the rings and attach the chain on which you can hang the feeder.

Plastic bottle feeders

For bird feeding, plastic bottles are also used as feeders. It can be both containers of 5-6 liters, and small 1.5-2 liter bottles.

Most often, a plastic bottle is turned into a feeder by cutting out several windows in the body.

Then such feeders are hung horizontally or vertically, depending on the design. For the convenience of birds, cross perches are installed near the bottom of the feeder.

But sometimes you can find quite original feeders, which provide for the automatic addition of feed. These are the so-called bunker feeders.

Such a feeder can be two wooden spoons inserted at an angle into the through holes in the bottle. Thus, the food from the bottle will gradually spill onto the spoon.

A bunker feeder can be made from a 2-liter bottle. To do this, it is enough to cut the bottle in half, make round holes in the lower part, and turn the top upside down and put the neck down. The top can be covered with a lid or a disposable plate. In such a feeder for a long time it will not be necessary to add food.

Improvised materials in the creation of bird feeders

The simplest feeder you can think of is a garland of rowan, cone or berries. A treat for birds strung on a rope will decorate young trees in the garden. The only disadvantage of such a feeder is that as the food is eaten, the garland loses its appearance.

An interesting solution would be to make a feeder in the form of lumps with grain or seeds. Such decorations can be placed on benches, tables, or simply hung on trees in nets, in which tangerines are usually sold in a store.

They are based on fat or gelatin. The lard is melted and the main food is added to it. Then the finished substance is poured into molds (it can be baking molds or an ordinary balloon) and placed in a cold place to solidify.

They also do it with dissolved gelatin mixed with grain.

If you have a coconut shell lying around, then it can also be used to make a feeder.

As a result, such a design will be invisible on the tree. Juice or milk boxes are also suitable for making feeders. Their very design will not differ much from simple feeders made from plastic bottles.

Photo of bird feeder ideas

Winter time is a serious test for birds. Every day it becomes more and more difficult to find food. Take care of the birds - hang a feeder made with your own hands from the simplest materials at hand, which we usually throw in a landfill. We took photos and original ideas making feeders that do not require special skills and complex drawings.

How to make a bird feeder with your own hands?

By accustoming the birds to the feeder, you can observe the entertaining turmoil of birds and the secret life of birds.

Some of them defend their rights in a fight with relatives, others enter into competition with other species, but without exception, all carefully look around so as not to miss the attack of a small hawk, which is very interested in the visitors of the feeder.

Materials for making a feeder can be very diverse, but there are some general rules construction:

• the feeder should be, first of all, convenient for the birds, there should not be any difficulties when extracting food;
• the roof and sides will help protect the food from snow, rain and wind. From exposure to moisture, the food can deteriorate and become moldy, which means it will turn into poison for birds;
• it is desirable that the material from which the feeder will be made is resistant to moisture, otherwise this design will not last long and a new one will need to be made;

• walls and corners should not be sharp and prickly;
• feeders for small birds are made small so that larger and more aggressive species do not encroach on their food;
• it is better to place feeders on the branches of trees or attach them to the walls of outbuildings at a height of about one and a half meters so that cats do not offend the birds, and it is convenient to add food to feathered friends.

Advice. Birds get used to a permanent feeding place and are ready to travel many kilometers to the feeder. Therefore, feeding must be constant, otherwise the birds may die.

Plywood bird feeder

You can buy a feeder in a hypermarket, or you can make it yourself in a few hours. A plywood feeder can be made open, with a flat or gable roof, a bunker compartment can be provided if you cannot constantly monitor the amount of feed in the feeder. Of course, you will need drawings, fortunately, there are plenty of them on the Internet with ready-made sizes of parts for cutting. Choose the design that you like, the drawing will facilitate the work and ensure that the end result is exactly what is shown in the photo.

When choosing a drawing for a future feeder, consider the bird population in your region. Jays, pigeons and magpies can eat all the food, leaving little titmouses hungry. To prevent this from happening, make the size of the openings of the feeder so that large birds cannot reach the feed.

So, you will need a hammer, an electric jigsaw, nails of a suitable length, water-based glue, sandpaper, plywood, 20 x 20 mm timber. Consider the simplest feeder.

Wooden bird feeder ideas and drawings

Wooden feeders are attractive because they will last a long time, keep their shape well - this is due to the properties and reliability of wood. To make such a feeder, you will need at least minimal skills in working with tools and a drawing. The board for manufacturing should be 18 - 20 mm thick. Consider the option of making a feeder, which you can do yourself or take a photo as a basis for a drawing. We will need a 4.5 x 2 cm timber for the racks, a 25 x 25 cm square of plywood for the bottom, two pieces of 35 x 22 cm for the roof, nails, self-tapping screws and glue.

Such a feeder can be installed permanently on a dug-in pole or drill two holes in the ridge, screw in a screw with a hook and hang it on a wire. Several birds can fly up to the feeder at the same time, the food is protected from the wind by the sides and the roof, the feathered friends of the garden will like such a cozy dining room.

If there is a gazebo on your site, hang a simple feeder without a roof there. It is enough to make a side and a bottom. If you want to paint the feeder or open it with varnish, then use water-based compounds so as not to harm the birds.

Advice. To prevent the tree from splitting, the tip of the carnation must be made blunt, and a hole must be drilled under the self-tapping screw before screwing in.

Making a cardboard feeder (suitable for children)

One of the simplest feeders. The cardboard option is interesting in that it can be made in a place with children and at the same time have a great time with them. This would be a great craft for kindergarten or elementary school. There is a lot of room for creativity here. Cardboard is a great option, it is only afraid of straight water. But if you want to play it safe and make the feeder more resistant to moisture, then you can glue the outer elements of the feeder with wide adhesive tape, especially its upper and lower parts. In the forest or in the park, such a feeder can easily last all winter and part of spring.

Cardboard feeder collage. Photo livemaster.ru/topic/179659-delaem-kormushku-iz-kartona

The set of tools and materials is minimal, and if you don’t have something from this list, you can always find a replacement for it. So we need these materials and tools:

• A pair of cardboard sheets, (A4 format or more) ;
• Ruler;
• Adhesive tape (for structural reliability);
• Stationery knife;
• A tourniquet or a piece of nylon rope to hang the feeder;
• Pencil or felt-tip pen;
• Glue for cardboard or glue gun;
• Hole puncher.

If such a feeder is going to take the prize as the best craft in your kindergarten, then you have to sweat a little in terms of external design. Here our cardboard will give odds to any Tetra-Pak (this is a milk or juice bag), you can draw beautifully on it and decorate it in every possible way. Undoubtedly, the prize from kindergarten will be yours!

pumpkin feeder

But here, as they say, words are superfluous - everything can be seen in the photo collage. I would like to add that such a feeder looks very attractive and unusual and will be a real decoration of your garden, this is due to the shape of the feeder and its color, which looks great against the background of white snow.

This option is also suitable for making with children. And such a beautiful, bright craft in kindergarten will definitely not go unnoticed.

Bird feeder out of the box Tetra pak) from juice or milk

You can make a feeder from a milk bag or a tetra pack from under the juice, like this. This is even for a child. For this you will need:

• a clean juice bag;
• a piece of nylon rope or wire to hang the feeder;
• adhesive plaster;
• marker;
• scissors or utility knife.

First of all, we mark and cut holes on opposite sides of the tetra pack. To make it convenient for the birds to take food and fly out. We glue the window on the underside with adhesive tape for the convenience and safety of the birds. We pierce a hole under the holes with scissors and insert the cardboard folded into a tube, which remains from cutting the holes above. In the bent corners we make small holes for the wire or rope. And tie to a branch.

The feeder can be attached to a tree trunk. Such a feeder will not sway in the wind. For this, feeding slots are made not on opposite sides of the package, but on adjacent ones. On the opposite side, we fix the wire in the slot and fasten it to the tree.

You can make a feeder out of two juice bags. We cut the first package along the narrow sidewalls, leaving the top not cut. We cut off the third part from the second tetra pack and cut a hole on the front side of the package - this will be the stern board or the bottom of the feeder. We combine the bottom with the first package so that we get a triangle. Parts can be connected with glue, wrapped with tape or pierced at the bottom of the sidewalls to insert tubes for cocktails.

Bird feeder from plastic bottles 1.5 - 2 liters

Consider some variations of the execution of the feeder with your own hands from plastic containers.

Option number 1. The simplest feeder

Symmetrically, on both sides of the bottle we cut out two holes: round, square, rectangular or in the form of an arch. Jumpers should remain between the holes. If you make a slot in the form of an inverted letter "P" and bend the plate up, you get a visor from the rain. You can stick a band-aid or fabric tape on the bottom edge of the hole - the edges will not be pointed and the birds will sit comfortably. We make symmetrical holes in the lower part and insert the stick - the result is a feeder with a perch.

You can attach such a dining room for birds on a tree by wrapping a jumper with tape, rope or other suitable material, as seen in the photo. If you make a hole in the cap of the bottle and insert the ends of the twine, and then tie them into a knot, you get a loop that can be thrown over the branches of garden trees.

Option number 2. Bunker feeder.

This design is rational in use in that the feed can be poured with a margin for several days. The feed, as it is eaten by the birds, will automatically fill up on the feeding ground itself.

You will need two bottles of the same volume. We mark one bottle with a marker before cutting. We make holes at the bottom, as in feeder No. 1, and remove the upper third of the bottle. We make two symmetrical holes at the top - a ribbon or twine will later be attached to them for hanging the feeder. In the second bottle, we cut several holes at the narrowest part - food will spill out of them. Do not immediately make large holes, it is better to expand them later. We fill the bottle with food, tighten the cork and insert the bottle into the first bottle cut off by a third.

Option number 3. Feeder with spoon

We make a hole in the cork and insert the twine for hanging. Then we symmetrically make two holes the size of a spoon. Above the bowl-shaped deep part of the spoon, we cut a hole in the bottle, slightly expanding it so that the birds can take food. We fill the feeder and hang it up.

Advice. With a red-hot needle or small nail, make several holes in the bottom of the feeder to remove moisture that has got inside.

Bird feeder from a plastic bottle 5 liters

Probably, in every house there is an empty plastic five-liter water bottle. It is very simple to make a feeder in one evening for feeding birds in the winter from this material. Such a container will hold much more food than a smaller plastic bottle, as can be seen in the photo. Several holes will allow you to comfortably feed several birds at once.

This is a very simple and quick option, invite your children or other family members to take part in the manufacturing process: find a ribbon or wire to tie the finished feeder to a tree branch, prepare a treat for the birds. Prepare a clean bottle, a sharp knife, secateurs or a clerical knife.

We cut the hole based on how we plan to fix the container on the tree:

• horizontally - cut a wide hole from the side of the bottom of the bottle and the same from the side of the neck;
• vertically - at a height of 5-7 cm from the bottom of the container, we cut several square holes or three rectangular ones.

It is convenient to tie a bottle by the neck to a branch with wire or twine. If the feeder is made in a horizontal version, then make two holes on the wall with a knife, through which pass the twine for tying. To prevent the feeder from swaying in the wind, put a quarter of a weight brick on the bottom, and load a treat on top.

From a five-liter bottle, you can also build a bunker feeder. To do this, you will need a five-liter bottle and two 1.5-liter bottles, a marker, a stationery knife and a rope.

With a little ingenuity, you can create unusual canteens for birds from the simplest plastic bottles that will decorate your site.

Shoe box bird feeder

Everything is simple here. We take a dense shoe box with a lid. We make a round hole in the lid. The hole needs to be shifted slightly from the center to the bottom edge of the box (a little different in the photo), this is necessary so that the birds can get to the food that will lie at the bottom of the box.

We make a small hole in the upper part of the box and insert a tourniquet or rope into it. Tie an old pencil or stick to the end of this rope. We will then tie the other end of the rope to the branch of the tree on which we plan to hang the feeder. Then you can wrap the box with wrapping paper, but this is for the aesthetic component, you can not do this.

We make a roof from ordinary cardboard and put it on glue. Next, we glue the lid to the box itself with tape, as in Figure 3, 4, and also thread the rope through the lid.

At the moment when we hang the finished feeder on a tree, the roof may peel off from the box, but this is not scary, it cannot go anywhere, because. rope will hold it.

And in the picture below is an even simpler version of the shoe box feeder. But there is no need to explain anything, everything can be seen in the photo. The whole box is simply rewound with tape, which, by the way, is very practical. And in our opinion it turned out - original and unusual.

Cardboard box bird feeder

To make a bird's dining room with your own hands, the simplest material will fit, which is stored in abundance on the balconies of most families: boxes of electrical goods, cardboard packaging from food products. Choose thicker cardboard with a laminated coating, the laminate will slightly increase the life of the feeder. Although, as written above, wide tape can be used for these purposes. The advantage of this design is that there is already a bottom, walls and roof of the future feeder, which needs to be slightly modified by cutting square or rectangular holes on the sides.

You will need a nylon cord, scissors or a clerical knife and adhesive tape. Since cardboard is a very short-lived material and is afraid of moisture, the finished feeder wrapped with tape will last until the next season. Having cut through the side holes and fastening the cord, you can hang the feeder and fill it with treats for birds that will not take long to wait. Put sand or some pebbles on the bottom so that the structure does not shake much with the wind.

You can do it a little differently. We glue the lid of the box perpendicularly so that the lid serves as a stern stand, and the second part of the box is a side and a roof. We glue the structure with adhesive tape. We make two hooks from the wire: we bend a piece of wire in half and pierce the “ceiling” of the feeder with the ends, twist and bend from the inside. By connecting the hooks, you can hang the feeder on a branch. As you can see in the photo. Now pour the food and wait for the guests.

Bird feeder on the window (with suction cups)

These feeders are a very interesting option for general development children and adults too :) The feeder is attached to the window, or rather to the glass, with the help of suction cups. Usually such feeders are also made transparent in order to fully enjoy watching the birds. If you have suction cups, you can make such a feeder yourself, for example, from the same plastic bottle, but you must admit that it will still not be as aesthetically pleasing as the finished version from the store. Children will probably start taking pictures of it all, and photos with yellowed, cloudy bottles will, to put it mildly, not so hot. Purchased options look very nice.

DIY bird feeder: video

Types of bird feeders: photo

A bird feeder has long become something more than just a device for feeding them. We admit that we want not only to make life easier for birds, but also to observe the behavior of wonderful birds, decorate our yard, realize ourselves in front of others and teach our children to love this world. If at the same time our wards help in protecting the garden from pests, it will turn out very well.

Bird feeders: what should they be?

When starting to make a feeder, it is useful to recall Exupery's remark: we are responsible for those we have tamed.

In other words, having accustomed the birds to easy prey, we must think about them all winter.

Otherwise, they will experience great problems, having lost food overnight, and may even die. Now we list a number of characteristics that a bird's dining room should correspond to:

• the bird table should have sides that will not allow the wind to carry away the food;
• the craft should not have sharp edges that birds can injure their legs on;
• a roof over the table will protect food from rain and snow;
• the feeder should be, if possible, inaccessible to cats;
• the holes in the walls of the craft should be of sufficient size so that the birds are not afraid of closed spaces;
• the product must be moisture resistant in order to last at least one season;
• the craft should not sway much in the wind, that is, it is better to weight it with a piece of linoleum or pebbles.

Birds won't like this feeder

Bird feeders: what are they?

There are so many people who want to make an exclusive table for the birds that they have composed an innumerable number of handwritten works. Obviously, everyone's preferences and abilities are different. We intend to offer you a range of different products with a description of their features and designs. Of course, we will also discuss the wishes of the birds themselves. Putting it all together, you will be able to compose your own "symphony" called "bird feeder".

From wood - the most options

The picture shows feeders made from planks. Depending on the preferences and the availability of material, one or another execution can be chosen. The very first option has a twist: a gap on the side bar for water to drain. Any product will last longer if it is treated with impregnation, painted and varnished.

These products are a little more complicated - they are all made of bars and slats. Such material allows you to make quite interesting and exclusive options. Pieces of roofing material on the roof will significantly increase the durability of the craft. Bars and slats can be fixed with small nails or glue.

Using tree branches will bring your craft closer to nature. The product can be quite simple and unusual. The use of impregnation and varnish is also advisable in this case.

Feeders made of birch branches look very interesting. Given the availability of such material, I would choose this option. Possible various ways roof execution. Birch bark already carries protective functions but the lacquer won't hurt.

The photo shows several feeders for mounting on a wall or on a tree trunk. They all have a back plate with a hole for fasteners. You can independently make options of various complexity. Very simple and easy to use feeder with a glass jar.

The photo shows surprisingly simple and original designs made of wood. It is quite possible to make such feeders yourself. Treatment with protective impregnation benefited them.

Carved products are fraught with considerable possibilities. However, it is difficult to do without a jigsaw in this case. A piece of galvanizing on the roof is right. Blowtorch processing will give a special color to the product. It is simply necessary to protect a product from moisture, on which a lot of time has been spent.

The image above is a selection of products made by professionals. All parts of the feeders were first processed and painted, and then assembled into a single structure. As a result, we have an impeccable appearance and durability. Nothing stops you from repeating the same!

The photo shows feeders that will decorate a mansion of any level with their presence. Probably, such products are made by specialists in a workshop. I am sure, if you set a goal, it is quite possible to repeat the elite version yourself.

In the photo above, we have selected the most interesting ideas wood feeders. They differ in materials and execution. At the same time, it is quite possible to make such products on your own.

From plywood - its features and capabilities

Before you are several designs of plywood feeders. There are a lot of products made using this technology. Details of such feeders are cut out on a machine and sold in stores in the form of sets. Crafts are assembled quickly and easily. A set from the store is interesting and useful to process and color to your taste.

These products are made in a workshop from thick plywood. The designs are assembled from simple parts and it is really possible to repeat them yourself with a jigsaw. Pure plywood obviously needs coating and decoration.

A plywood feeder is much easier to make using bars and slats. In this case, you can do without a jigsaw. The designs shown in the picture are different, but simple.

Plywood feeders using wood are quite popular. Let's take a look at a few more options. Simplicity of execution cannot create barriers to exclusive options if the matter is taken creative people.

The picture above shows evidence of the effectiveness of the use of paints in the manufacture of the feeder. In the hands of craftsmen, quite simple products easily turn into fabulous attributes. In this case, the desire is more important than the inclinations of the artist.

Especially for those who wish to make a feeder out of plywood and bars, we have prepared product drawings. All details are numbered for convenience. To assemble the feeder, you will need 4mm plywood, a bar with a section of 20x20mm and wood screws.

Here is a drawing of the details of the feeder. The number of the latter is given in the table. The cross section of the bar 20X20 is not shown in the drawing.

From bottles - simply and reliably

Very often, bird feeders are made from plastic bottles. This is due to the availability and durability of improvised means, ease of manufacture. Transparent plastic bottles allow you to freely observe the behavior of birds.

The sharp edges of the plastic must be treated with electrical tape or a tube cut along the PVC. Then the birds will not hurt their paws and plumage. Light bottle feeders should be weighted with pieces of linoleum or pebbles so that they do not sway in the wind. The image above shows the simplest options.

Containers from under automotive fluids allow you to get more reliable and voluminous designs. Unfortunately, they are not transparent. In feeders from any plastic containers, small holes should be made in the bottom for water to drain.

Five-liter eggplants can be decorated beyond recognition. Suitable burlap, twine, bast and small twigs. So that beauty does not fade quickly, it is necessary to use moisture-resistant improvised means and glue.

As you can see, there are plenty of options for decorating feeders from five-liter bottles. Show your imagination and make your own and unique. Do not forget about the reliability of the design.

In the photo above, there are a few more characteristic methods of using plastic bottles:

1. In the first picture, two holes were made in the bottle opposite each other closer to the neck. A stick was inserted into the holes - a nast. Just below the perch, they made a hole for food. It should have optimal dimensions: the seeds do not wake up, but the bird is available. Then they poured the food, turned the container upside down and fixed it to the tree.
2. In the next image, the role of dispensers and poles is played by the two upper parts of the bottles, tightly inserted with their necks into the holes on the sides of the main bottle. The lower edges of the specified parts are bent and wrapped inward so that the birds do not hurt their paws.
3. The picture on the left below demonstrates the possibilities of using paints. A simple, tasteful design brings the technical transparency of plastic to life.
4. Availability wooden spoons helps to call the birds for dinner. They are simply threaded through the holes in the bottle. It is better to place the spoons at an angle so that two birds can eat at once. Holes for food above the spoon should not be unnecessarily large so that the latter does not get enough sleep all at once.

From cardboard and bags - cheap and cheerful

Cardboard bird feeders cardboard boxes the most unreliable. But you can make a large feeder and decorate as you wish. You can increase the lifespan of a cardboard bird canteen by covering it with tape or film.

Dairy and juice bags are a good way to make feeders. They cost nothing and have good moisture resistance. Of course, bottles are more durable, but bags are easier to work with. You have several options in front of you.

We decided to make a fun and simple feeder out of a two liter juice bag. There was an idea to feed the birds in a makeshift bus. The master class for assembling crafts is quite simple:

Unusual - bunker, transparent, designer, with a joke

Of particular interest to us are silo feeders, which provide automatic feed supply as it is used up. Thus, bird food is not carried away by the wind, and we do not have to constantly monitor the availability of grain. The design of such a feeder can be very different, but the essence is the same everywhere: through a hole of a certain size, food pours from above and replenishes the bird's table.

In the examples given, the dispenser is:

• a gap between two glasses;
• narrow neck of a glass bottle;
• holes in the bottom of the plastic bottle.

We have already considered similar options in the description of plastic bottle feeders. Based on these principles, for sure, you can come up with something new.

Plexiglas feeders look elegant. The birds and food are amazing. Design approach makes you want to repeat successful experiment.

The rest of the tea service does not want to be thrown away. Here are four options for using dishes as a feeder. Moisture resistance and appearance of the material are not in doubt. Fixing a cup or teapot in the garden is not difficult.

Particularly stubborn and talented do-it-yourselfers compose funny feeders - jokes. You have to be determined to do it again best examples. It is especially nice to write something of your own.

For starters, you can try a simpler option from plastic bottles. Much depends on the materials you have at hand. The above examples are quite subject to female hands.

Here are four options for a “male” cool wooden feeder. The design of the crafts is quite obvious. Repetition of the proposed ideas is a very real task.

Here are images of several more options for unusual bird feeders. The main idea is obvious: don't be afraid to experiment. It's easier - not to torture yourself with the search for exactly the same materials, but to use the available ones.

Making a feeder together - a snowman from a plastic bottle

Of course, I want to make the bird feeder simpler and more interesting. It seems to us that a snowman with gifts from Santa Claus for birds is a suitable option. The master class for making crafts is as follows:

1. On one side of the bottle, mark the snowman's mouth with a marker. Now this wall will be the face. We cut the outlines of the mouth according to the markup. Bend the resulting tongue down 90 degrees.
2. On the side, we mark the ear in the form of an inclined oval, narrowed at the bottom. Cut out a hole imitating an ear.
   
   
3. We apply the resulting piece of plastic on the other side and circle it with a marker. Cut out the second ear.
4. We mark a large rectangular hole on the back of the head and cut it out.
   
   
5. The result was a blank, as in the photo above.
6. Paint the snowman's hat the same blue as the bottle cap. Paint the bottom of the eggplant with white paint.
   
   
7. We paint the tongue with red paint.
   
   
8. We put a plastic corrugated tube with a diameter of 16 mm on the edges of all holes. In an electrical store, 2m of such a pipe will cost nothing at all. We pre-cut the tube along the entire length.
9. To make the container heavier, we use linoleum. We put the container on it and circle it with a marker. It is better to cut two such details.
   
   
10. We prepare corks, self-tapping screws, a sealant cover and a stick in accordance with the picture. We make holes for the screws in the plugs. In the red cork we make a hole for the stick.
    
    
11. We make two holes for installing the nose stick. We pierce one at the site of the nose, the other at the back of the head. We insert a stick into them. We first put a red cork on it, and then a cover from the sealant. It turned out the nose of a snowman.
    
    
12. We collect the eyes from small white and large blue caps. Screw them into place with screws. From the inside, we screw two more covers onto the protruding screws to securely fasten the eyes and protect against sharp self-tapping screws. All is ready!

Master class for making a classic feeder

At school, the youngest son was encouraged to make a bird feeder. The materials found were:

• painted galvanized corner 50x50mm;
• wooden lath with a section of 20x40mm;
• a piece of plywood 4mm thick.

From which it was decided to compose his work. The sequence of the master class is as follows:

Cereal biscuits for birds

Sometimes you can do without creating a feeder to help the birds. You can hang special bird cookies on the branches of trees. Note that the grain birdie looks so tempting that I would have eaten it myself.

The first way to make a delicacy is as follows:

• prepare molds for making cookies;
• we place pieces of twine in molds that will serve as pendants;
• dissolve a packet of gelatin in warm water;
• we fall asleep in the prepared solution of grain feed;
• pour the mixture into prepared forms;
• put the food in the fridge to chill.
• we hang ready-made cookies on tree branches: accessible to our eyes and inaccessible to cats.

In the absence of forms, beautiful food for birds can be made in a different way:

• cut out figures of various shapes from cardboard;
• we make holes in cardboard blanks, thread twine into them and tie rings for fastening on a tree;
• to attach the food to the cardboard, we prepare a special glue, which consists of an egg, a spoonful of honey, 2 tablespoons of oatmeal and flour;
• mix the mixture and leave to ripen for half an hour;
• as the glue is ready, we grease the cartons with it and roll the latter in bird feed;
• we send the semi-finished product to the refrigerator for solidification;
• as soon as the cookies are ready, we hang them on a tree, and we ourselves go to the window to observe.

Bird food: "what is good and what is bad"?

Look closely at the birds that have stayed over the winter in our area. Hope froze in their eyes that we would not slip them an “expired product” or unhealthy food for them, from which the birds would suffer. Let's remember what it is impossible to treat our wards, what should never be included in their diet:

• salted, as well as fried seeds;
• cream cakes and cake;
• fresh white bread;
• Rye bread;
• nuts;
• crisps;
• cereals;
• the remains of bananas and other citrus fruits;
• fresh fruits.

Fortunately, the range of possible is noticeably wider. Feathers can be offered:

• bread crumbs;
• sunflower seeds, pumpkin and watermelon;
• cereals: oats, wheat, millet, barley;
• rice, buckwheat;
• unsalted lard especially for titmouse;
• viburnum and mountain ash, maple and ash seeds especially for bullfinches.

Egg shells, coarse sand, crushed chalk will serve as a seasoning for a bird's dinner, especially during the nest building period. Thus, we know almost everything about bird feeders and food. By the way, in spring and summer, observing the behavior of birds is no less exciting than in winter. We wish you good luck and offer a video to help.

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