Ways to use recycled materials to build a wild bird feeder

There are a lot of feeders that any feeding enthusiast can use to feed wild birds. These feeders can vary in styles, shapes, sizes and prices. However, you do not need to purchase a new one or build a highly complicated bird feeder. Instead, you can use some stuff that can easily be found at home. Building bird feeders from recycled materials is a great way to help keep our environment healthy and you can also get your kids involved in these simple projects, spending quality time with them and encouraging them to learn about the natural world as well.

You have a myriad of choices of things to use when making recycled bird feeders starting from the obvious, like milk cartons and plastic bottles, to the mildly unusual toilet paper rolls.

Plastic drink bottles and empty milk jugs pretty much go through the same process when being converted to wild bird feeders. You first need to clean them thoroughly and dry them out then drill some holes into them and insert dowels for perches. You then need to drill holes large enough for seeds to go through at a spot located a few inches above the dowels. You can then fill the bird feeder and suspend on branches using wires or chains.

Using milk cartons is also easy. You just need to cut out a hole on the middle part of the body of the carton. The size of this hole should be enough to allow small birds to access the bird feed you will place inside. You will then need to punch a hole at the top of your milk carton, thread a piece of yarn or string through it and use this to hang your bird feeder. You can also use this method on 1 liter soda bottles.

Make platform feeders from scrap pieces of plywood, old pie tins or old shallow baking pans and cookie sheets. All you have to do is drill some holes on these items for drainage and mount it securely it to a pole.

Onion mesh bags or sacks are great for making suet feeders. All you have to do is put in your suet cake into the bag and attach to a tree or pole.

Baby food jars or old shallow jars will also do well as hummingbird feeders. Just remove the cover, paint some red decorations outside the jar using nail polish and tie a string tightly around the mouth of the jar and hang on a tree. The jar will be slightly tilted at this point; you can then put in your nectar solution and wait for humming birds to come.

Your old Christmas trees will also do well as a bird feeder so you won't need to throw them out when the season is over. You can hang suet cakes on them, or other birdie treats like bagels covered with peanut butter and rolled in bird seeds. The tree will not only serve as a bird feeder but will also provide the birds great cover as well.

Old coffee cans with plastic lids are also convertible to bird feeders. Just drill some holes on the bottom of the can after washing, attach a plastic plant saucer on the bottom using nuts and bolts. Mount this securely on a pole and pour in seeds into the coffee can. Some seed will spill out onto the plastic saucer and the birds can feed from there.

You can also make decorative bird feeders from old cups and saucers. This project is on the easier side of the scale but you will still need slightly sophisticated tools for this. Slowly drill a hole on the bottom of the cup and on the center of the saucer. Place the cup on top of the saucer and thread a long metal rod through both holes and secure together using washers, nuts and bolts. Insert your threaded metal rod onto the ground and spread some bird feed in the cup and on the saucer.

For bird feeders made of toilet paper rolls, just thread a yarn through the hole of the toilet paper roll. Smear honey all over this and roll in bird seeds. Hang outside and just watch the birds.

These are just a few ideas on how to make your own bird feeders from simple materials. You can try your hand and come up with your own ideas on using recycled items for wild bird feeders.

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