Bird feeder made from a plastic bottle

Plastic bottles are ubiquitous today. After use, we throw them in the trash, although there are ways to reuse them for good purposes. In particular, make them an outdoor feeder for feathered guests. There are several methods and varieties; you can show your imagination and create an unusual design.

How to make a bird feeder from a plastic bottle

It is not difficult to make a simple and original product for birds. This can be done in your spare time with your child. Children really enjoy making objects that will later bring invaluable benefits. Particularly relevant in winter, when birds cannot survive without feeding.

The advantages of plastic are its strength, safety and functional elasticity. You can create original designs and conveniently arrange them on a tree, balcony or fence.

Required Tools

Think carefully about the design. It must be protected from precipitation, strong and reliable. If possible, use colored plastic, as transparent products can reflect sunlight and repel some birds.

To get started, you should arm yourself with:

• a stationery knife or just a sharp knife;
• scissors;
• awl;
• ruler;
• marker.

And, of course, you need material.They can be different plastic containers with a volume from 1.5 liters to 5 liters.

Option from a one and a half liter bottle

The simplest way, which is easy to implement together with your child, is to make a horizontal feeder. To do this, lay the container on its side and draw two “windows” on the opposite edges of the bottle.

The sides of the hole must be at least 4 cm so that wintering birds can crawl inside.

Using an awl, we make holes in the corners of the “windows” drawn with a marker. And then cut it out using scissors or a sharp knife. You can leave the connection at the top. But you will have to bend the plastic so that it protects the contents of the product from wind and moisture.

To protect the birds' paws from cuts, sand the edges of the cut holes with sandpaper or cover them with tape or tape. All that remains is to securely fasten the structure to a tree or the balcony of your own apartment, and also fill it with cereal or other supplies suitable for flying squirrels.

Feeder from a two-liter container

A vertical version of the bird “dining room” is allowed. To do this, carry out the same manipulations as in the first case. Place the container on the table and mark the “windows”. Then they are cut out with an awl and a sharp knife and covered with electrical tape.

To remove moisture, small holes are made in the bottom of such a product, and to increase the popularity of the feeder, you can install thin sticks through the small holes. This way birds can land on them.

Next you will have to secure it to the tree. And in this case it is quite difficult to do this. It is recommended to solve the problem with strong and rigid wire, which is used to entangle the form and screw it to the tree.

Feeder from a plastic bottle 5 l

Large eggplants for clean water are an ideal option for making a large product intended for several birds at once. The step-by-step guide is no different from previous options. Moreover, the holes can be made of a larger diameter.

Be sure to follow safety precautions when working with sharp objects.

Thanks to additional holes and sticks or wooden spoons inserted into them, you can make unique “plates” for several birds. The food will be poured into them in doses and the little guest will not have to go inside the container.

Ways to decorate feeders

For birds, it makes no fundamental difference whether the bottle is decorated. You can apply paint so that the transparent plastic does not glare in the sun, scaring away birds. However, with a little imagination, it is easy to decorate the product to your own taste.

We suggest decorating the bottle with ornaments or painting it in the shape of a gnome, flower or other characters. You can wrap the body of the bottle with rope and make a thatched roof in the form of a house. There are countless fantasy ornaments. By using one of them, you will be able to decorate your own garden even in winter.