Crafts

Make eco bird feeders

These brilliant bird feeders are made from easy-to-find, natural materials. Hang them in sheltered spaces at home or school and keep them topped up with food. Don’t forget to leave out a dish of clean water. Eating bird seed is thirsty work.

Before you get started

What you will need

  • Twigs and branches
  • Natural string (a kind of rough, brown sting available from craft shops and garden centres)
  • An orange
  • Cardboard egg carton
  • Cardboard toilet roll
  • Peanut butter (check it doesn’t contain xylitol, which is poisonous to birds)
  • Strong kitchen scissors or garden secateurs
  • Seed mix for wild birds (check the packet to see what sort of birds the seed will attract.)
  • Pencil (for poking holes)

Method

How to make a swinging orange feeder

Scoop out the orange

Scoop the fruit out from half an orange (and eat it, yum!).

Add holes

Using a pencil, poke four holes opposite each other around the edge of the half an orange.

Thread the sticks

Thread sticks and string through the holes.

Tie a knot

Gather the ends of string together and make a knot.

Fill the orange cup

Fill the orange cup with bird seed and hang from a tree. You could also add small pieces of cheese, cooked pasta or rice, boiled potatoes or uncooked and unsalted bacon rind.

Method

How to make an egg box buffet

Add holes to the egg box

Take the bottom half of an egg box. Make two holes in the cardboard ‘cones’ (or in each of the corners).

Thread and tie the string

Thread some thick string through and knot it together.

Add the seeds

Half fill the egg box with seeds and hang from a branch. 

Share your creations

If you had fun with this project, we’d love to see the end results! Send us a picture of your finished craft for a chance to appear on our online gallery.