Make Your Own Apple Bird Feeder
We currently have a family of blue tits nesting in our garden and we’ve been really enjoying watching them come and go. We’ve not seen the babies yet, but we can certainly hear them chirping from their bird box. Add that to the fact that the Wildlife Trust have launched their 30 Days Wild campaign and we thought it would be the perfect excuse to get creative and make our very own apple bird feeder.
Adults do need to help with this one as it involves a little bit of knife work. Other than that though, this is a great make to have little ones get involved in. Mine are 2 and 4 and loved not only threading the string and tying the sticks but they also had a great time loading the feeder full of bird food. They are very proud of their creation and have chosen a pride of place location in the garden in the hope of being able to see a bird or two enjoying their feast.
WHAT YOU NEED
For our apple bird feeder we used:
- 2 x sticks
- some string
- a soft apple
- a metal straw or apple corer
- some bird seed (we used black sunflower and seed mix)
- scissors
- a knife
HOW WE MADE OUR APPLE BIRD FEEDER
I don’t own an apple corer….and to be honest I don’t think I know anyone who does! What we do use now in an effort to be ‘drastic about plastic’, is use metal straws. It seems that not only are these straws much better for the environment, but they also are a great tool for creating an apple bird feeder.
The first step is to push the metal straw through the middle of the apple. If your apple is soft, this should be pretty easy to do. Once through, use it as a guide to push the string through the middle of your apple. Obviously an apple corer would work perfect for this too.
You could take the straw out at this stage but I left ours in to make it easier to hold.
The next step is to make the rest for the birds to perch on while they enjoy their feast. To do this, cross your sticks and secure in the middle using the string you have just threaded through the middle of your apple.
You now already have the basic structure of your feeder. However, we still need to make it a little more enticing to our feathered friends. To do this, take the knife and make a series of slits in the apple skin from top to bottom around the apple. Don’t make them too wide though. From there you are going to push in the seeds, filling up the slits with bird treats.
There we have it. Your very own apple bird feeder complete with stick perch.
All you need to do now is pull the metal straw out from the top of the apple and cut the string to size with scissors ready for hanging. Just be sure to keep an eye on it and make sure you disguard anything that may be left over after 3 weeks.
It really is simple to make and makes great use of any apples you may have which are past their best. And while not only saving food from the bin, it also has the benefit of being a great boost for garden birds at this time of year.
Why not give it a go yourself and make your own apple bird feeder? And if you enjoyed this make, then why not check out our creations section for more inspiration.
A FEW FACTS
I just thought I’d finish with a few facts about bird feeders seeing as I already have you here. The RSPB advises that during the summer months, birds require high protein foods. However, during the spring and summer it’s really important to ensure that the right foods are selected for them. Hygiene is especially important in warmer months to ensure their food doesn’t go rancid. There is plenty of advice over on the RSPB website as to what is best to feed birds during the spring and summer months.
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