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-   -   DIY Bird Feeder - For my feathered friends (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifting-gears/119887-diy-bird-feeder-my-feathered-friends.html)

A lot of stuff is doing rounds on the Internet for helping birds. I felt it was high time we DID something so that we can have a few less ‘Angry Birds’ around us. After exploring the net came across some wonderful DIY projects which can definitely help the domestic birds. None of the ideas are mine, just copied/tried my hand at what I came across on the net.

The Feed – Bajra, Rice, Groundnuts, Cooked Rice (without salt), oil free chapatti, when available - papaya, banana, sweet-lime

Bird Feeder 1

Material – 1) Used/Trash Cola/Water bottles, 2) unused soup spoons, serving spoons

Directions - First find an empty plastic bottle, yarn/twine, cutter, funnel, wooden spoons, and bird seed. Optional: add some paint or stickers to your bottle for a fancier look. With the cutter, carefully carve a hole on one side of the bottle and on the other side to match. One can add another set of holes for more birds to perch. Next, add your spoons to each hole. Set the spoons in all the way so that the spoon end can catch some seed. Now take the funnel and place it up top and pour in your bird seed. Some may come sprinkling out the spoon holes, but not too much. Add a yarn tie at the top so you can attach it to a tree, or a place of your choosing. Now replace the cap and you are set to go.







This is extremely easy to do, but the problem I faced is even with a single sparrow sitting on any of the perches, the feeder used to sway/swing, making it unfriendly for the birds. Notice the way the plate tilts after the piegeon parks itself. The best way to use the same is to clamp it to a pillar/post/column. Since I have none of these on my terrace, had to remove the feeder from the hanging position and later kept it on the floor near some plants. Now it works.



Bird Feeder 2

Material – Used/Empty water can with lid, 2 sturdy tree branches/twigs each about 10 inches long (long enough to be wider than the jar), yarn/twine, Markers, Box cutter or sharp knife, Scissors, Nail or heavy needle

DIRECTIONS
Wash and rinse the jug. Rinse well and let the jug and cap dry.
Draw rectangles/doors on two opposite sides and where you want the twigs for perches. The perches should be centered beneath the doorways. The first perch should be about 2 inches from the bottom and the door about 1/2 inch or so above that. One side will need to be about 1/2 inch lower than the other so the perches have clearance to cross each other in the center.
Using the point of the knife, make a cut at the center of your door large enough to get a blade of your scissors through. This will make cutting easier. Cut outward and at an angle towards the line you've drawn. This makes following your outline, rounding the corners and getting the shape you want easier.
Fill with bird feed up to the bottom of the lowest opening.









Bird Feeder 3

Material – Coffee can (or any other can), Spray paint (or acrylic paint), Twine/Ribbon, Scissors

DIRECTIONS
Wash and dry the inside and outside of the can. Using the scissors, cut the lid in half and fit one of the halves back to the can to create a basin for birdseed. With help of a sharp knife cut one half from the other side of the can. Both basins should match each other. Thread the twine/ribbon through the upper part of the can and tie over a tree. In case, you are using plastic cans, and you would be coloring them, roughen the surface with a sandpaper for the colour to stay.



Step 1 cut 1 half of the lid as well as the bottom of the container pls ensure they are the corresp









Bird Feeder 4

Click on the link to watch the video on making a nectar bird feeder. I added artificial flowers, plastic tubes – one end in the water and the other through the center of the flower for the birds to suck the ‘nectar’.

7 DIY Recycled Bird Feeders - Earth911.com

Nectar – Hummingbirds/Sun-birds eat a variety of different things, but the food they are most attracted to in many birders’ backyards is the basic nectar recipe. This recipe simulates the natural sucrose content of nectar producing flowers and offers the birds a healthy source of energy and calories.
1. Combine one part white sugar and four parts water.
2. Heat the solution for 1-2 minutes to help the sugar dissolve and slow fermentation.
3. Allow the solution to cool completely before filling feeders.
Nectar Recipe Tips
• If your tap water contains heavy chemicals, consider using bottled or purified water for purer nectar. You can also boil the water before adding the sugar to help purify it.
• Do not use honey, brown sugar, molasses or artificial sugar substitutes for any hummingbird nectar recipe. Honey and molasses (brown sugar contains molasses products) are too heavy for hummingbirds to digest efficiently and can ferment more quickly, creating a mold that is fatal to hummingbirds. Sugar substitutes do not have the caloric energy that hummingbirds need for energy.
• While boiling will help slow the fermentation of the nectar initially, the nectar in hummingbird feeders is contaminated as soon as it is sipped by a bird. Therefore, it is not necessary to boil the nectar once the sugar has been dissolved. If you use extra fine sugar no boiling may be needed.
• The ratio of sugar and water can be slightly adjusted, but a solution that is too sweet will be difficult for the birds to digest and one that does not contain enough sugar will not be suitable to attract hummingbirds. The 4:1 water to sugar ratio most closely approximates the sucrose levels in natural nectar.
• Nectar must be completely cool before filling feeders. Hot nectar can crack both glass and plastic feeders and warm nectar will ferment more quickly.
• Unused hummingbird nectar can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week. When making your own nectar, adjust the recipe quantity to only make enough for one week to eliminate waste.
• Clean hummingbird feeders at least once a week and refill them with fresh nectar. In warm weather or when multiple birds are using the feeder, clean them more frequently.











Although, that was not the objective, in hindsight realised that its a great activity to keep kids busy during vacation clap:

Great one, thanks for sharing! Mom & Dad (took it from Grand Pa) feed pigeons every day, without fail. Will be sure to show your thread to them. Birds from our neighbourhood could just be grateful to you :)

@padikpanther
This is some good information that you have shared. I was actually looking out for DIY bird feeders and nesting areas. Right now I am using a plastic tray and an earthen plate for placing the grains and water. I have no place to hang the feeders, so right now placing the tray and plate in the window sill. Will try this out over the weekend. Thanks.

Padikpanther, thanks for this informative post. I had started a thread here to help animals/ birds but that somehow took a different turn.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ve-cities.html

Some points:
- I am curious to know if bird feeder 3 has some open edges which could be harmful to birds trying to enter.
- And I didnt understand how bird feeder 2 works. Can you please tell me how the feed can be accessed?
- Birds need water in summer, any idea to put this up too?
- how much do them birds soil your terrace?
- you got a nice view from your terrace :)

Thanks GTO and Rajeswaran

Thanks selfdrive, but how did I miss that thread...my bad

To answer your queries -

- I am curious to know if bird feeder 3 has some open edges which could be harmful to birds trying to enter.

I agree, the images do give a feeling about the rough edges. To share the untold part - my 5 year old daughter was pushing me hard to finish the cutting part as she was looking forward to paint them, so to speed up the process, I used a soldering gun to cut the plastic containers. So, in a way most of the rough edges were taken care of and the remaining I took care with a piece of sandpaper.

- And I didn't understand how bird feeder 2 works. Can you please tell me how the feed can be accessed?

total lack of photography skills on my part results into this lack of clarity for bird feeder 2. Hope the following image helps in some way. The only difference is - in reality the doors are much bigger than depicted in this image.



- Birds need water in summer, any idea to put this up too?

Currently I'm using old used stone vessels, 2 of them, and we are required to refill them at least twice in a day. Working on one, will upload if it works :)

- how much do them birds soil your terrace?

Though, the place gets dominated by the pigeons, touch wood, so far nothing to complain about

- you got a nice view from your terrace

thanks buddy, anytime most welcome to enjoy the view and along with it I can assure you a drink(s) of your choice too

My cad, I see it now in your images. If any bird is as stupid as me, he/ she/ it (?) may miss it too. I recommend lining the doors with some paint so that it can be differentiated in terms of depth.

good one! I was thinking of doing a DIY drip irrigation thingy for my balcony garden. But there is no way to do it without going through a bedroom. And I am damn sure I will end up flooding it.
You may want to think of doing that if you have any plants around and extend it to a small pot. So that birds dont go thirsty when you are away on holiday.

Water will be fine thanks, but no need to build anything for that lol: