Wildlife birds need protection and care. It is especially difficult for them during the winter: when it is frosty outside it is so hard to find shelter and food.
That is why caring people try, as far as possible, to feed our younger "brothers." One of the ways that will not only help birds, but also decorate your garden, is a feeder from improvised materials.
In this article we have collected some of the most affordable options - focusing on descriptions and photographs, using already unnecessary items (plastic bottles or old dishes), you can easily arrange a place where bird flocks will gather.
Review Content:
Material selection
After evaluating the resources available to you for creating a feeding trough, you can also choose an idea for your soul. However, it is worth remembering that not only its appearance, but such practical characteristics as stability depend on the configuration.
That is why a good feeder must meet the following requirements:
Wear resistance and durability. Preference should be given to wood or plastic, which are able to withstand weather conditions without getting wet from rain and snow, without collapsing under gusts of wind.
In addition, the birds themselves often cause damage to the feeders - in search of crumbs, their beaks and claws scratch and tear fragile materials.
Proper size. Remember that if you cut a small feeding trough, for example, from a tetrapack, then large birds will not be able to feast on it, and small ones will start fights for a place and shake the food to the ground.
The absence of sharp edges, "getting out" carnations, etc. Birds are very tender creatures, their feather protection and the skin on their legs cannot prevent cuts from pointed objects, so make sure that your feeder is not dangerous to them, especially if it is made of glass, plastic or knocked down from planks!
Location and Installation
Choosing the right place is crucial!
Having selected the most suitable position in terms of landscape design, evaluate:
Accessibility for birds. Perhaps the feeder will be closed from them by thick branches, or, conversely, too open, and then, with a strong wind, the birds simply can not get close to it.
Inaccessibility for cats. These animals are excellent hunters, especially those who live in villages and summer cottages. They are stronger, faster and more agile than their domestic counterparts, and therefore, creeping up to the feeder, can cause great damage to the bird community.
DIY Ideas
There are a huge number of different types of feeders - it all depends on your imagination and available materials.
We will try to consider both the simplest and most original ideas.
House made of wood or plywood
Despite the apparent complexity, such a design can well be assembled in the presence of unnecessary boards, wood, glazing beads, plywood and, of course, special glue or nails.
Note!
The basis should be a heavy, even plaque. For the manufacture of walls and roofs, you may need a drawing, however, it is quite possible to do with an eye.
A wooden feeding trough, depending on how much attention you pay to it, can become not only a place for feeding birds, but also an elegant decoration of your garden.
Plastic bottle feeder
This type of feeder is made very easily and is perfect if you decide to involve children in the process of creating. You need to cut one or two holes in the bottle so that it is possible not only to fill the feed, but also access to it is not difficult.
Of course, you should try to make the cut edges come out neat and not too sharp (in addition, it is advisable to glue them with tape).
If you use a small bottle (1.5-2 liters), you can do two things: cut a square or rectangular hole in the bottle or prefer a U-shape so that you can bend a piece of plastic and make a visor.
In the event that you decide to use a large bottle (5-6 liters, in which drinking water is usually sold), you can make a large side cut. Thus, it will be possible not only to fill up more feed, but also to give the birds room for maneuver.
Note!
In order for the wind not to ruffle a light bottle, it is worth putting a stone or a fragment of brick on the bottom. This also applies to the next type of feeder.
Tetrapack bird feeder
In order to make a bird feeder, you can use boxes of juice or wine.
To do this, you should follow the same technology as in the previous case: mark the location of the cut, cut out the shape, glue the adhesive tape (or adhesive plaster) on the underside of the opening, then make holes for a strong rope in the upper part of the tetra pack. It remains to hang the feeder in your chosen place.
Shoe box feeder
The cardboard from which the shoe box is made cannot be considered durable material, but it is quite resistant to moisture, and if it is cold outside, such a feeder can sag until spring.
The manufacturing technology of the feeder, as in previous cases, is also very simple: make four or six holes for the rope, cut through the sides and put a weight on the bottom - for stability.
Note!
Other options
The above options are extremely popular - such feeders can be found in any country. If you want to make a unique feeding trough yourself, you should take unusual materials, for example, old tableware: a cup and saucer.
In the autumn, you can cut the product from pumpkin or zucchini, in winter, halves of orange peeled from the pulp are suitable for this. Such feeders will surprise your neighbors and will undoubtedly decorate the garden!
DIY bird feeders
