The latest round of winter weather and frigid temperatures reminds us that we need to take care of our fine feathered friends during the cold months of the year. When temperatures sink, birds need a lot more food to keep themselves warm. Save up your empty Coca-Cola product bottles to make this fun and useful bird feeder.
What You’ll Need
- empty 2-liter bottle with cap
- 2 round-handle wooden spoons
- craft knife
- drill
- marker
- ribbon, strong yarn, or twine
- washer or nut
- birdseed
- funnel (or bottle top left from another project)
How to Make the Bird Feeder
Prep the Bottle
Follow this guide for cleaning the empty bottle. Allow the bottle to dry completely.
Make the Holes
Using the round end of the spoon as a guide, mark a spot near the bottom of the bottle.
With a sharp craft knife, carefully cut a hole just large enough for the handle of the spoon. The handle should fit snugly.
Insert the handle of the spoon through the hole, straight across to the other side of the bottle. Mark the spot for the next hole.
Remove the spoon before cutting the next hole. Instead of cutting a simple, round hole, you will make an opening large enough to fit some of the spoon end. Make a horizontal cut roughly 1 1/2 inches wide. At both ends of this cut, make a vertical cut the same thickness as your spoon. Finally, make an upward diagonal cut from both ends of the wider cut. Your final hole should allow part of the spoon to fit and should be tall enough for the bird seed to come out without spilling.
Repeat the Previous Step
Make another pair of holes about halfway up the bottle. Angle the spoon roughly perpendicular to the first spoon to allow plenty of room for the birds to land and perch.
Attach a Hanger
Drill a hole in the bottle cap just large enough for your hanging string. Run the loose ends of your line through the hole in the cap. Tie the ends to the washer or nut with a strong knot. This extra step will keep the string from slipping through the hole when you hang the feeder.
Fill and Hang the Feeder
Use a funnel to fill the bird feeder. If you made the luminaries back in the fall, you might have a leftover bottle top. These work perfectly.
Hang the filled bird feeder on a strong branch or pole. Spend the day watching all the birds feed.