Easy Home Made Bird Feeder.

[ginger ninger]

We all know our wild birds need all the help they can get over the winter months. I was looking through some old Mag's (FREE TESCO) and came across this home made bird feeder, and thought it might be a good idea to pop it on here so if you wanted to, you could make one, you will need:-

1 small squash or pumpkin.
Something to make holes in your squash/pumpkin
Scissors
String
1 Small nail
1 pkt suet
Saucepan
Birdseed mix
Spoon.

1. Cut squash/pumpkin in half, scoop out flesh.
2. Cut 6 pieces of string 1 metre long. Take 3 pieces of string and knot them together at one end, start plaiting the string. When finished, plait the remaining 3 pieces of string to form the second hanging loop.
3. Turn the squash/pumpkin upside down. Lay the plaited string in an "X" across the base, hold in place with the nail.
4. In the saucepan, melt the pkt of suet, add the bird seed and stir until the mixture becomes firm. Spoon into squash/pumpkin bowl.
5. Once the mixture is cold, tie the ends of the string around a branch of a tree, or hang from a fence with hanging basket bracket.
See attached photo.

[organic]

Any idea what the cloves around the one in the picture would achieve?

[Capsid]

Unfortunately, that would feed the squirrels not the birds in my garden.

[SueA]

That looks very pretty Ginger, I think they might attack the squash as well though. I bought an even simpler one which had been made by people with learning difficulties from a visitor centre. It was a plastic coke bottle with 3 tiny slits cut in it about two thirds of the way down so it could be pushed in slightly there to let seed out & a small stick pushed through the complete bottle below that for the birds to perch on. It was filled up with niger seed, the top screwed back on & a bit of green garden wire fastened around the neck to hang it up with. Simples!

[organic]

We've got LOTS of squirrels around here (greys, unfortunately) and hanging bird feeders from the washing line kept them unmolested all last year. That reminds me, I need to stock up on feed again as its empty.

I'm not sure how, but I'm fairly sure there'd be a way to keep it squirrel free. Though it's probably more hassle than an "easy home made bird feeder" really warrants.

[ginger ninger]

To be honest it doesnt bother me if its the birds OR the squirrels that I feed, its nice to have wildlife in my garden, most squirrels are in hibernation at the depths of winter time anyway so I can't see them being a problem.

[organic]

Good point there Ginger...
...Though the squirrels around here have plenty of food as it is so I prefer to keep the seed and similar for the birdies.

I'd rather the squirrels were red too, despite them being far more timid, but I can't have everything - it's still nice enough to watch the greys do their thing if I can't have reds instead.

[Capsid]

Except grey squirrels don't hibernate.

[organic]

I completely missed that connection. Well spotted Capsid.

[ginger ninger]

No that's true, they don't hibernate, they just stay in there winter drey's most of the time to conserve energy, so it's like a kind of hibernation but they can come and feed in my garden whenever they want.

[Portland Bill]

Wasn't there a story earlier this year about mutant black squirrels ousting the greys?