Learn to make a homemade bird feeder with Great Scott! Adventures Outdoors

Bird feeders come in many shapes and sizes but they don’t need to be complicated or made of plastic. These willow bird feeders look lovely in your garden and once they have been out for a few years can be put on the compost heap so keeping it green!

The birds are busy! Feeding young and themselves is a full-time job. Often at the mercy of the weather, predators and food availability, they have a pretty hard time of it. An important way to help out native birds all year round is to provide them with additional food sources. This can be through the planting in your garden, growing sunflowers, bushes with berries on, even brassicas or nasturtiums that are a favourite with caterpillars can all give the birds a helping hand.

Another way to help our birds is my putting out feed for them. Bird feeders come in many shapes and sizes but they don’t need to be complicated or made of plastic. These willow bird feeders look lovely in your garden and once they have been out for a few years can be put on the compost heap so keeping it green!

What you need:

Wood Round

Drill

Willow (Any kind of willow can be used, it can be ‘green’ (freshly picked) or if it is dried soaked in water one day for each foot of willow e.g (four foot of willow needs to be soaked for four days) to make it pliable

Fat balls or chopped up fruit for bird feed

1. First, you need a wood round, this can come from your woodpile and doesn’t need to be any particular type of wood.

2. Drill five holes into your wood, I have numbered these to help you

3. Place the thick end of the willow into each of the holes

4. Gently fold the willow No.1 over so it goes inside No.2, then fold No.2 willow so it goes inside of No.3 and so on and so forth.

 5. Keep folding the willow, always on the inside of the next number.

6. Keep going until a spiral has formed and all your willow ends up together, tie the ends off with a piece of string or the willow ends.

7. Use a piece of willow or string to make a handle and fill the feeder with fruit or a fat ball

It doesn’t have to be beautiful, the birds will just as happy with the end result!

Claire Scott, Great Scott! Adventures Outdoors