Make your own bird feeders
As food becomes more difficult for birds to find, they will really appreciate being left some. A wire feeder is a great way of hanging old kitchen scraps up for the birds, and an orange feeder makes a lovely bright container for sunflower seeds and nuts.
If you leave your feeders out long enough in a quiet space, away from people or predators, you’ll be able to enjoy watching the birds feast on your food!
What you will need:
Bird seeds and nuts
Natural jute or hemp twine.
An orange or other citrus fruit such as a lemon or grapefruit
A piece of wire (floristry wire works well)
Pieces of apple, dried fruit, bread, cheese or other high energy food
To make orange feeders:
1. Cut your fruit in half.
2. Squeeze out the juice so that you are left with the hollowed-out halves.
3. Thread twine through the holes to make a hanging loop, like in the picture. You could make the holes using a thick knitting needle or small pointed screwdriver.
4. Pick your orange half up by its twine so you can see how it hangs. Fill it with your seeds and nuts.
To make your wire feeder (also known as a kebab bird feeder):
1. Collect scraps of high-energy food from around the house, like cheese, fresh fruit like apples, and bread. Don’t use anything with mould on.
2. Chop your food up into small pieces that are big enough to handle, and thread it onto your wire.
3. Turn your wire inwards to make a loop and twist the ends together.
4. Cut off a piece of twine and tie it around your wire loop. Hang your feeder up by the twine for the birds!
Feeding the birds
Hang your feeders out of the wind but quite high up, so they are out of the reach of cats. Make sure your feeder is hung somewhere that you can see from your window, so they can be watched!
The birds might take a while to come, especially if this is the first time that food has been put out for them.