10 easy, quick and recycled bird feeders
Culture & lifestyle — di Rudi Bressa
On the coldest days of the year, here are some tips for making bird feeders that will help the birds that have stayed behind get through the winter.
10 easy, quick and recycled bird feeders
On the coldest days of the year, here are some tips for making bird feeders that will help the birds that have stayed behind get through the winter.
The days that are traditionally the coldest of the year are also the hardest and most difficult to get through for many species of birds that remain in our cities and gardens.
As the Lipu (Lega italiana protezione uccelli) reminds us: "Our cities, with their 'climate dome', have a temperature at least two degrees higher than that of woodlands and countryside, and attract many birds that we can enjoy watching and can learn to know and protect."
Here, then, are some tips for building bird feeders in a fairly simple way, using reclaimed materials. We could put them up in our gardens, but also on balconies and in hedgerows. "In winter," Lipu explains, "many birds broaden the range of their diet, which becomes, out of necessity, mainly omnivorous. For this reason, a feeder can attract many different species, and the success of the feeder will depend on the type of food on offer."
10 ideas for a bird feeder
Plastic bottle
Perhaps the simplest to make. Just take a plastic bottle that any of us has at home, rinse it out and make two small holes where pencils or wooden spoons can be inserted. The bottle can then be filled with the classic mixed birdseed available at specialist shops.
Orange
This one is also very simple to make, and biodegradable to boot. After the daily glass of freshly squeezed juice, we can reuse the peel as a container for the birds' favourite food. Filling it with small pieces of cheese rind could attract goldcrests, wrens, blackbirds and robins.
Tetra Pak
For this feeder, all you need is a clean milk or fruit juice carton. Cut out one of the wider sides to create a kind of small window, where the feed will be placed. At the base of the window, you can insert two small sticks or skewer cocktail sticks as a perch. To hang it up, simply thread some string through the top of the carton. If filled with sunflower seeds, you could attract chaffinches, greenfinches, tits and nuthatches.
Seed balls
For this feeder you just need a small mesh bag for lemons, some margarine or butter, and a few seeds or peanuts. Melt the margarine or butter and mix together with the peanuts and some crumbled biscuits. Shape into balls and leave to set in the fridge. It will make a tasty snack for tits and goldfinches.
Read also: How to turn gardens and terraces into havens for birds. The recipe for fat balls and other treats
Plastic jug
The process for this feeder is similar to the Tetra Pak one, except that it is larger, so it can hold a greater quantity of seeds and, consequently, more visitors. Ideal for hanging from the more hidden branches of trees in parks and gardens.
Coffee tins
Here too, all you need is a few minutes, a coffee tin, a pair of scissors to cut the lid and a screwdriver to pierce the metal and thread the cord through to hang the feeder. The lid can also be cut in half. The important thing is to provide a perch for the little bird. If filled with fresh fruit, you will attract blackbirds, thrushes, starlings, blackcaps, robins and blue tits.
Toilet roll tubes
This method will also be fun for little ones. To stick the seeds on, you can use butter, left to soften at room temperature, or peanut butter, which is now available in all supermarkets. A layer of butter and a layer of seeds. You can tuck them into branches, shrubs and smaller tree trunks.
Old boot
This works well with old shoes destined for the bin. You will, of course, need to nail them to a tree trunk. The effect is guaranteed, though, and who knows — a couple of birds might even decide to nest in them. Creative.
Old teapot
To make this ceramic feeder, all you need is an old teapot, a plate, an old umbrella handle and some glue. The effect is decidedly out of the ordinary. You could also place small pieces of meat or fat inside to attract tits, starlings, robins, blackbirds and thrushes.
Spring
In this case, you can reuse those old 1990s toys that are still popular today. The spring is closed at both ends and filled with peanuts, turning it into an appetising garland for both birds and squirrels.