Invite feathered friends to your garden by building a bird feeder yourself and helping them out in the fall/winter. You can make such a simple DIY project using recycled materials like plastic bottles or even toilet paper rolls. So instead of throwing them away, you can make bird feeders in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way. If you want to teach your children something useful and animal-friendly, as well as spend some quality time together, this would be the perfect opportunity to do so. Here are some creative craft ideas that you can get inspired from this fall season.
Build a simple and inexpensive bird feeder yourself
Make your own DIYBird feederby using the supply of recyclable items in your home. All you need could be a plastic bottle, a toilet paper roll, or a chipped coffee cup or mug, as mentioned above. You could even use natural products such as filling an orange peel with sunflower seeds and hanging them on a tree branch in your garden area as a feeder.
We also recommend buying a small seed mix for bird food. Millet and oatmeal help a variety of birds such as sparrows and finches, and if you have titmice in your garden, they will enjoy sunflower seeds. Also use vegetable shortening or lard to hold the food in place. It is also worth noting in this case that you should avoid using cooking fat as it can cover the feathers of birds. There is a project for everyone, regardless of age or previous knowledge.
Make DIY bird feeders from plastic bottles
A third of all plastic waste in seas and oceans consists of plastic bottles. You may have made an effort to reduce the amount of single-use plastic items you purchase. However, if you find that you have a plastic bottle that you are done with, you should not throw it away. Instead, give it another use by using it to build a bird feeder yourself.
This is a favorite among elementary school students as well as an easy DIY project for bird lovers of all ages. After rescuing a 1- to 2-liter plastic bottle from the recycling bin, look around your home or garden for two wooden spoons, dowels, or twigs that you can use for the project. These create a place for the birds to sit while they eat.
Materials:
- Empty plastic bottle
- Scissors or craft knife
- Bird seed
- two plastic or wooden spoons and some string
Instructions
- First, cut two holes in your plastic bottle, making sure they are directly opposite each other.
- Then repeat with two more holes that are slightly higher up. Scissors can make your holes bigger.
- Make sure your holes aren't too small, you may need to open them up a bit more with scissors.
- Now push the two spoons through the holes.
- First, fill the bottle with bird seed and put the lid back on.
- Finally, tie the string around the top of the plastic bottle
- The feeder is now ready to hang in your garden.
How to build your own bird feeder out of toilet paper roll
It is believed that on average a person uses about 100 rolls of toilet paper per year. That's a lot when you think about recycling options. Even if you don't use that much of it in your household, you probably have a few cardboard tubes that need to be recycled every month, so why not use them to help the birds in your garden with this feeder idea?
Also read: “UPCYCLING TOILET ROLLS: PRACTICAL AND SUSTAINABLE IDEAS FOR THE HOUSEHOLD & GARDEN WITH TOILET PAPER ROLLS!“
Materials:
- Toilet paper roll or cardboard tube
- Pencil
- cord
- Vegetable fat or lard
- Bird seed
Instructions
- First, use the pencil to make two holes on either side of the toilet paper roll.
- Then thread the string through and tie a knot.
- First, take vegetable shortening or lard and smear it on the toilet paper roll or cardboard tube.
- Then roll the toilet paper roll or cardboard tube in the seed mixture until it is completely covered.
- Before you hang the bird feeder in your garden, you should stick a few branches through it to serve as perches.
Turn old tea or coffee cups into bird feeders
Maybe you have a favorite cup in your home that is cracked or broken? Maybe someone gave you a mug and you just can't part with it, even if you don't actually drink from it anymore. These can easily be turned into bird feeders, which can be another great craft idea. This will give your unusable ceramics new life as you can still admire them when you look out your window.
Materials:
- Chipped tea cup or coffee cup
- Zweig
- cord
- Vegetable fat or lard
- Vogelsamen
Instructions
- First, tie your piece of string around the handle of the struck cup.
- Then roll vegetable shortening or lard into a ball and place it in a bowl with your bird seed.
- Cover the dumpling with seeds, aiming for a mixture of about one-third fat and two-thirds seeds.
- Then place the seed-covered fat in the cup and press down to make sure it stays in.
- Finally, insert a small branch to serve as a perch.
- Now hang the bird feeder in your garden so that the birds can enjoy it and you can admire the whole thing.
English version:DIY bird feeder – this is how you can turn recycled materials into bird feeders!
