Birdfeeder Crafts

Log Feeders

• Raw materials for making log feeders are free and you can make them with a little know-how. Start with an attractive log 3 to 6 inches in diameter and use a drill to carve out large holes. While paper birches are classically used to create log feeders shagbark hickory and aspen have interesting barks as well. But, even if all you have is maple or oak it will make an interesting feeder. Fill the crevices with sticky bird food mix such as suet and birdseed or peanut butter and birdseed. This type of feeder will attract squirrels, jays and suet-eating birds such as towhees and nuthatches.

Soda Bottle Feeder

• One-liter soda bottles make inexpensive bird feeders and repurpose an item that would otherwise be heading to a landfill or recycling facility. Use wire hangers to create the perches, drilling holes in the bottle and inserting the wire all the way across the container. Before you drill out the seed access-ports decide what kind of food you intend to feed. Thistle will require only a 1/2-inch long by 1/8-inch wide slit situated 1 1/2 inches above the perch. To feed sunflower seeds, make the slits 1/4 to 1/2 inches wide. Thistle will attract flocks of goldfinches while sunflowers attract jays, cardinals and chickadees. The best part is if squirrels chew through your feeder, you can make a replacement quickly and inexpensively.

Upside Down Feeders

• Some people like to make upside down suet feeders for the fun of watching bark-walking birds, such as woodpeckers, flickers and nuthatches, feed in unusual positions. It's possible to make a wood surround for your wire mesh suet feeder easily. However, ambitious squirrels often chew through these quickly. Instead, buy a piece of sheet metal, and measure a square slightly larger than the wire-mesh suet feeder. Cut a one inch square at each corner outside the square and then fold down the sides to protect the mesh feeder. Drill a hole in the center of the metal housing to secure the wire feeder with a nut, bolt and wide washer.

Corn Cob Feeder

• Squirrels, crows and jays among other birds love corn. There are several types of corn feeders that are easy to make. One way is to take a large cement nail, 4 inches long, and drive it through the center of a short wooden board. You can attach the board to a limb or nail it to a tree or a stump. Just impale a cob of corn on the long cement nail and watch the birds feed on the corn. You can also make a corncob feeder by wrapping 1/4-inch copper tubing around the cob. Leave enough tubing to form a hook at the top to hang over a tree limb or plant hook.