Bird Feeder Stand
Build Your Own Bird Feeder!
Author: Bob Alexander
Spring is on its way and all our backyard birds are hungry. With daffodils blooming and crocuses beginning to pop their heads out of the soil, we tend to forget that food sources of seeds from autumn plants have long been blown away by winter winds and new growth hasn't yet begun.
There's about 2 acres of wooded land adjacent to my property for the birds, raccoons, possums and the occasional coyote. This area has been left in its natural state, free from lawn mowers, chain saws and weed eaters. It's pretty much as God designed it.
We only have three bird feeders in the woods and two next to the house, but that is enough to keep us on the verge of bankruptcy. Trying to keep wild bird food in our five homemade bird feeders full is not an easy job. It seems as if it is the goal of every bird to do its part to empty the entire feeding station of all of its contents.
I once thought birds really cared about the appearance of their cafeterias, but I've learned that it doesn't make much difference whether it is made of plastic, wood, or aluminum. If you want to feed finches though, you need a tubular Finch feeder because it is designed to hold and distribute those tiny thistle seeds. Almost any other feeder can be made of wood.
When I first had the idea to get something to feed birds, I went to my local bird store to buy a couple of bird feeders. I changed my mind when I saw the prices of the simplest they had to offer. I decided to build my own.
I went to my computer and found pictures of birds happily pecking at bird seed on a very plain looking rectangular piece of wood, with a two inch wall around it to keep all the food from falling to the ground.
The drawback to the platform type of feeder of course, is that the feed is exposed to the weather. Put a wall on each end and a roof over the container and you have a hopper type feeder. Searching on the internet I found blueprints to build one of these, but after reading 5 pages of detailed drawings, I built my own wild bird feeder without even printing the directions.
This type of feeding station wasn't a good idea because the seeds strewn by the birds and fell to the ground made the perfect set up for predators, like my cat Spike. He waited behind a bush and pounced on the ground feeding birds when they flew in to gobble up the treasure that had fallen from the sky.
Now that he's older, he just sits on a step from the deck and watches the birds, no doubt remembering the days of his youth back when they were afraid of him. Now they just go about their business of eating the bounty on the ground without worrying about the threat of annihilation from an old yellow cat.
I went back to the computer and came up with a plan to build a bird feeder with a roof that wasn't complicated. There is never a shortage of building materials because someone in the neighborhood is always tossing something away. I just drive around searching for old fencing left for the trash man. For one feeder it doesn't take a lot of wood or other materials. As for design, there are many free blueprints and instructions on line.
It's all worth it when I'm looking through my kitchen window at Cardinals, Chickadees, Titmice, Wrens and numerous other colorful and cheery friends I welcome on a daily basis.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/nature-articles/build-your-own-bird-feeder-830662.html
About the Author
Bob Alexander is well experienced in outdoor cooking, fishing and leisure living. Bob is also the author and owner of this article. Visit his sites at:
http://www.redfishbob.com
http://www.bluemarlinbob.com
My favorite store for garden tools and accessories is called http://www.leevalley.com It’s an upper crust Canadian gardening supply store. Their store is in Ottawa but they have a web site and you can order from all over North America. Ask for their catalogues on many different items, garden tools, woodwork, hobbies. Very fine equipment and all mailed to your home. I can spend hours browsing. I had trouble with squirrels stealing birdseed, tried all sorts of feeders. I got one from them, squirrel proof and it sure is. Cost $100 but wow, well made and will last forever.
Even if you don’t make a purchase, the catalogs are fabulous.
They even have a Xmas gift edition, find something for everyone.
I should get a bonus for this free advertising. haha. seriously it’s worth a look.
Have fun.
Julie a.
If one of the cardinals is a bright bred and the other a more dull colour then it sounds like they are a mated pair and one is allofeeding the other. If they have young, both will do this until their crops are full and will use the regurgitated food to feed their young.
You may also be witnessing a parent feeding its baby, while showing it the best place for it to gather food on its own.
When the kids were little, and no grandchildren, yet. a nice bird feeder that didn’t drop seeds to germinate in the lawn …. get some large milk-bone dog biscuits, drill a hole through an end, dip it in peanut butter and cover with birdseed. The kids enjoyed doing it and we all enjoyed watching the birds come to eat.
put red pepper into the bird feeder onto the seed
the birds actually like the pepper taste and the squirrels hate it.
there is a product called squirrel-off….. all it is – red peppers crushed.
don’t get it in your eyes.
First is the feeder near the edge of your patio so the birds can see it? If so, then make sure you have the right kind of seed in the feeder. I recently had a person contact me with this problem and found out they had sunflower seed in a thistle feeder. The birds could not get the seed out. So, make sure if you have a mixed seed feeder make sure you have mixed seed in the feeder. If you have a humminbird feeder make sure you have the sugar water mixed at 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. If your not sure what kind of feeder you have feel free to send me a picture and I can help you. You also might try hanging a “bushy plant” on your patio or even a silk “tree or plant” would work. This will give the birds someplace to hide if they feel threatened while at your feeder.
Hope this helps!
there’s 2 cardinals in my bird feeder, one is feeding the other?
bird # 1 is standing in the bird feeder.
bird #2 is standing next to the bird feeder, on a post of equal height.
bird #1 gets some food in it’s mouth, flies over to bird #2.
bird #1 regurgitates food into bird #2′s mouth.
(process repeats).
my question is: What are they doing?
Help, my bird feeders have been taken over by squirrels. How can I keep them out?
One feeder is standing on a pole and up they climb to get to the feeder. Have already tried WD-40 and vaseline on the pole. Didn’t work. The other one is hanging from a branch in a tree and they climb the tree, walk on the branch and down the feeder to eat. Bird seed is costly and they are driving me nuts.
Thanks in advance.
Any ideas for curtailing seeds sprouting in grass from bird feeder spillage?
We have several feeders at various locations in our yard- some directly above the lawn, other hanging from our gazebo on patio surface. We have various crops sprouting around from the seed. We have quit feeding safflower for the time being because it was sprouting so much, and have gone to some blended (ie Wagner’s Midwest Blend) feeds- which the birds seem to really like, but we are still having a sprout problem. Wondering if we should change the type of feeder we have- ours have area around the outside of the feeder where the birds can stand and feed- any suggestions are much appreciated. We don’t want to stop feeding the birds- as has been suggested by some family members of mine- just want to cut down on the crops we’re growing. Thanks!
why aren’t birds visiting my bird feeder?
I wonder if the height is too low. I have it hanging on my apartment patio.
My patio is covered by the balcony above me.
I have the feeder tied to a long rope which leaves it hanging
about eye level. I bought it about a week ago, but so far
no birds have visited it. Do I need to stand outside with a
sign that says, “bird feeder” with an arrow pointed toward my patio?
Can anyone link me to a good quality standing bird feeder?
One that has low chance of falling over in a storm, and stands at around 5 feet.