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DIY project: An eco-friendly bird feeder

Photo: tara nolan
Our Green Living crafter shows you how to attract feathered friends to your yard with this easy to make eco-friendly feeder
Tara Nolan

One thing I loved about growing up in the country was sitting in my parents' big kitchen picture window and watching the birds, and other woodland creatures, come to feed. While I don't have as wide a variety of birds that flock to my yard in the city, I still put out a little feeder to attract a few feathered friends.

As the first snowstorms hit, I wondered what would happen if I hollowed out fruit to create little mini suet feeders -- to give the birds more variety, if you will. The fruit would add colour to a white winter landscape and eventually biodegrade over the winter leaving nothing but a little piece of string with which the birds could make a nest. And I guess if they were really hungry, the birds could peck away at the fruit, too, depending on what was used.

In order to stick to our 100-mile diet, I opted for a locally grown squash. This project is fairly simple and requires very little tools.

Feeder materials

  • Fruit, vegetable or gourd
  • Knife and spoon
  • Cutting board
  • Electric drill or hammer and nail
  • About one metre of string

    • Directions:

  • With a sharp knife, slice the very top off your squash leaving enough of an opening for birds to get into.
  • Scoop out the insides and put them aside to eat later.
  • Drill or use a hammer and nail to create a hole on each side of the rind near the top. For extra balance, you could poke four holes, one on each side.
  • From the outside of the squash, place string through the first hole and stretch across the squash to pull it through the hole to the other outside edge.
  • Leave a long piece on each side.
  • Lift the middle up of the string up and knot with the ends so you have a good length. (Tip: The longer the string, the more likely you are able to keep the feeder out of a squirrel's reach.)
  • Place hollowed out feeder in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to fill.

    • Other options
    For my first two feeders, I chose a coconut and a pomegranate. I'll admit both were pretty hard to work with. The coconut required a hammer, some strong drill bits and two extra people, but on the bright side, can be refilled over and over again. And the pomegranate, well, let's just say I had red juice all over my kitchen. Pomegranates are hard to get into on a good day, but try preserving a perfect exterior.Other fruits will work as well:

  • Citrus: try grapefruits or big oranges
  • Pineapple: cut the top off and use a special corer to hollow out the inside
  • Any type of melon: cantaloupe, honeydew, etc.
  • Pumpkin

    • The main ingredient: suet
    Now it's time to whip up the suet. After doing a bit of research, I came up with this recipe that the birds seem to enjoy.

    Ingredients

  • ¾ cup of mixed birdseed
  • ½ cup crunchy peanut butter
  • ½ cup of lard (I used the boxed kind from the store, but you could also make your own with animal fat such as bacon grease)
  • 1 cup quick cooking oats
  • 1 cup of cornmeal (I substituted this with oat bran for my first batch)
  • ½ cup flour
  • About ¼ cup of sugar
  • Saucepan and wooden spoon

    • Directions

  • In a saucepan, melt the peanut butter and lard together.
  • Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
  • Pour mixture into your hollowed out fruits or vegetables and place the rest in the fridge (depending on how long it is before you need to refill) or pour it into a square pan and freeze. (I kept mine in a used peanut butter jar in the fridge.)
  • Keep your feeder cold until you are ready to put it outside.
  • Try to hang your feeder from a branch that squirrels cannot get to. Also, the more wildly it swings, the more it will deter those pesky critters. Birds don't seem to mind the movement.

    • If the animals in your yard haven't eaten it or carried it away when it's empty, you can either refill your feeder or send it to the compost.

    Happy bird-watching! Wondering where to hang that bird feeder? Read more at Feeding Birds in Winter.

    Comments

    http://www.davidsuzuki.org/NatureChallenge/QueenofGreen/recipes_videos.a... I also have a favorite recipe and a how-to video on my Queen of Green web site. You'll find a quick description of who you'll attract with various nut and seed mixes, not to mention what else you should be doing for the birds like buying particular types of paper products and coffee! Lindsay Coulter David Suzuki's Queen of Green
    Submitted by Lindsay Coulter (guest) on Mon, 03/01/2010 - 20:31.

    You might want to use a thin wire rather than string... don't know about you but the squirrels in my area have learned to chew through string!

    I guess it's a lot easier for them to devour the contents of the feeder on the ground rather than hanging suspended from the tree or balanced on top of it.

    My 2¢.

    Al

    Submitted by Al in Ottawa (guest) on Fri, 02/26/2010 - 10:32.
    Hot pepper products are simply cruel. With all of the squirrel proof feeders available, as well as safflower seed and the use of pole mounted baffles- why on earth would anyone want to cause pain to an innocent animal. Remember, they were here first. Use your brain! You can be smarter than a squirrel! Pole baffles work when properly installed. A company in Illinois called ERVA makes the perfect pole system. All you need is an auger (twister), 74 in. pole, double or triple arms for the top and a cylinder baffle mounted on the pole with the top of the baffle at 5 feet from the ground. Make sure none of the feeders hang below the baffle. Simple! Squirrel proof!
    Submitted by Mid-Atlantic Mom (guest) on Sat, 11/28/2009 - 00:17.
    There is a lot of speculation that using cayenne pepper (even though the birds cannot taste it) can do harm to birds' eyes. It is very, very irritating. Better to use a squirrel-proof post or feeder to be safe.
    Submitted by Anonymous (guest) on Sat, 10/17/2009 - 17:14.
    Really want to help wild birds AND economize ? Use seed pre-sprayed with cayenne pepper or mix your own. Squirrels won't eat it. It costs more but lasts so much longer. Help cardinals, buy safflower seed. Cheap seed means urban birds. Read the label and mix your own blend. Cheap millet attracts pigeons, sparrows, and is gone instantly. Don't be penny wise & pound foolish! I get beautiful red cardinals, and bright yellow finches, and best of all, no squirrels! I'll try the squash feeder ... fun for the kids but can't wait to see what the squirrels do with it! PS - Great concerts on the Mayercraft II 2009 !
    Submitted by Connecticut Fan (guest) on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 13:09.
    Interesting idea. I may have to try it out next year. The only problem I would have is I would have to hang it high enough so the deer wouldn't try and eat it (it would be gone by the next day).
    Submitted by Northern Gal (guest) on Mon, 03/23/2009 - 09:10.

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