Draw more birds to your garden and build a bird feeder to provide them with seeds and fruit. Not only will you attract more birds to your garden, but you will also feed some wild birds.
What you’ll need
- 8 pieces of 12mm plywood cut to 100 x 40mm and edged on the long sides at 45° angles
- 1 piece of 12mm plywood cut to 400 x 40mm
- 1 piece of 12mm plywood cut to 224 x 40mm
- Wood glue
- 4 screws, 12 x 3mm in size
- 8 screws, 20 x 3mm in size
- Packaging tape
- Wire mesh
- 1 keyring (or any other ring)
- 4 picture hooks
Tip
If you don’t have the equipment to cut the wood to the ideal lengths, ask the supplier to cut it to the required sizes for you.
Building the feeder
Step 1 Varnish or stain the eight pieces of wood with an exterior and lead-free product, except for the diagonal sides, where the glue will be applied.
Step 2 Align the four pieces of wood so that the long sides touch each other. They need to be in one straight line.
Step 3 Carefully apply packaging tape to the backs of the small pieces of wood.
Step 4 Turn the wood upside down so that the packaging tape is at the bottom. Apply glue between the 45° edges, so that the wood ends touch each other to form a box.
Step 5 Start at the one end and then carefully lift up the sides, so that the glued edges will form 45° angles to finally form a box. Allow the glue to dry.
Repeat the same process to form a second box.
Step 6 Once the glue is dry and both boxes are ready, use four of the 20 x 3mm screws to attach the 400 x 40mm plywood to the back of the two boxes. You can decide where you want the boxes to be – either on the sides, or in the middle.
Step 7 Once the two boxes are attached to the backing, use the remaining wood to attach the undersides of the two boxes. This will form a platform for the bird to stand on.
Step 8 Use the remaining four screws to attach the picture hooks to the boxes. Ideally, attach a hook on each of the four corners on the outsides of the two boxes.
Step 9 Cut the wire mesh to the same size as the boxes and attach it to the underside of each box.
Step 10 Thread some rope through the four picture hooks and properly tie it to the ring. The ring needs to be at the top, so that you can hang it on the branch of a tree, or something similar.
Step 11 Now, hang up the bird feeder where it is safe for the birds, and where you can watch them from a distance.
Step 12 Cut up some fruit and place it in the centre, and add some wild bird seed to the two boxes.
These easy instructions were provided by Kobus Kleinhans from Nifty Zebra.
