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Homemade Bird Feeders

You love to watch the birds outside your window. You start to see the same types of birds, and they all have their own personality. You love feeding the birds, especially in the winter, because you enjoy watching them so much. Making homemade bird feeders is a wonderful way to involve your family in the process, especially if you have small children. Here are some tips on different homemade bird feeders you can make.

One of the simplest homemade bird feeders to make involves pinecones, peanut butter, and seeds. Have your kids spread peanut butter all over the pinecone and in between all the cracks and holes. Then roll the pinecone in birdseed. Tie it with a string and hang it from a tree. Sit and wait with your child for the first bird to feed at it. Take a picture so you can capture the memorable moment.

You can also pop popcorn

and string it together, as if you were making a Christmas tree garland. Instead of putting it on the tree, put it outside for the birds to enjoy. Make sure that you place it in an area where birds tend to go.

Another simple birdfeeder you can make involves a milk jug. Cut the side of a milk jug out with a scissors or sharp blade. If making the bird feeder with your child, you can cut the side out. Then, give them the feeder to decorate and fill with seeds. Tie a string through the top and hang it from a tree. If you need more details, look online or in a craft book to see which part of the jug to cut.

Making homemade birdfeeders is a great way to bond with your children. Pick a birdfeeder that is easy and fun to do together. Fill it, and wait together for the birds to come. This is a fascinating process for children and adults.

Different Types Of Bird Feeders
By Hope Mason
When shopping for bird feeders you are likely to encounter a number of different styles and designs. The type of bird feeder that is best for you might depend on the type of bird you want to attract and how close you want to be to them in terms of an observer of their daily habits.


For a real close up view of feeding birds you might want to consider window bird feeders. These types of bird feeders are attached to the window glass with suction cups. You can buy these types of feeders for smaller birds and also humming birds. Be sure to make sure this type of feeder extends far out enough away from the window so that the bird does not fly into the glass.

The screen tray birdfeeder, also known as steel mesh birdfeeder is a tubular silo that is filled with different types of seeds or nuts depending on what kind of bird you aware most interested in attracting. These are hung from a tree and can also be quite popular with squirrels. The most popular type of food used to fill a screen tray bird feeder is peanuts. However they can also be filled with raisins, mealworms, black oil or sunflower seeds.

If squirrels and other rodents are feasting too much on your bird seed you can also buy types of bird feeders that are the weight activated and spring shut once it detects the presence of a heavier small creature. You can also buy cage protected feeders or ones that are totally housed in metal. Other protective devices for your wild bird feeders include spinners, dippers and flippers. The purpose of these gizmos is to throw the squirrel off balance should it attempt to venture onto the feeding platform.

Decorative bird feeders are brightly painted because the purpose is to fool the bird into thinking they are feeding from a fruit tree. These are excellent for attracting songbirds, especially the oriole. To attract singing birds choose decorative birdhouses in colors such as yellow, orange, red or pink. These types of bird feeders are often made of plastic and

might even seem a little tacky or not to your taste but it is this type of bird feeder that will appeal the
most to different types of song birds, as well as humming birds.

There are many different types of humming bird feeders on the market. Perhaps the most popular are the large pink plastic vessels shaped like large bulbs or blossoms. These types of bird feeders have tubes that allow the hummingbird to suck up nectar in the same way as he or she would suck up nectar from the throat of a flower. However if you really want to observe a hummingbird up close then you might want to install window feeders.

If you want to attract wild birds, a wild bird feeder can be as simple as a wooden trough, a plastic plate set out on a table or a ball of suet hung in a tree. These should be placed some distance away from the house so the birds are not intimidated by a human presence.

You can make your own wild bird feeder from an old milk carton that is glued to a paper plate. A little door cut out of the bottom of the carton serves as the dispenser for the food and the top of the carton is left, as it is so more food can be added to the feeder as needed. The feeder is then hung in a tree with a long piece of invisible thread or skinny wire to discourage squirrels from getting at the food. This is one of those types of bird feeders that makes an ideal craft project for kids.

You can purchase a bird feeder in a retail store but sometimes you can save quite a bit of money by purchasing birdfeeders online. One benefit to purchasing a bird feeder online is that often you can buy one that is more eclectic or creative than one that you find in a store. There are also many niche sites that you should check into when purchasing birdfeeders online. These web sites are like small boutiques that specialize in particular types of bird feeders. Choosing a creative and unique design for your birdhouse can also prevent your backyard looking just like every one else's on the block.