BUILD a Bird Feeder

As birds return to the North from their Southern migration the Spring can be a wonderful and exciting time for bird watching. Almost every day you will notice new birds coming into your neighborhood.  These wild birds have just returned from an incredible and exhausting flight (some travel more than 2000km) As you can imagine, providing these birds with accessible and healthy bird food can be crucial.  Early Spring is a beautiful time but it may not yet yield the insects or plant seeds that our feathered friends require.

Materials 

• Paper and pencil

• Yarn or string 

• Recycled cartons and containers or cans

• Scissors or a knife

• Birdseed

• Peanut butter

• Tape or glue

• Pipe cleaners 

• Popsicle sticks, twigs, or skewers

• An adult

• And anything else you can think of

Design your bird feeder 

1. On your own or in a team, brainstorm ideas for a bird feeder that addresses the following:

• The type of birds in your area

• Time of year

• Location and accessibility for birds

• Protection from the weather (keep food dry)

• Ease of accessibility (for observing, cleaning and refilling)

• Predators (squirrel attacks and invasions)

• A perch (somewhere for your bird to sit while it feeds)

2. On a piece of paper, map out and design what your bird feeder will look like and how it will address the criteria above.

3. Gather all the recycled materials that you think you will need.

4. Get busy! Begin building and assembling your bird feeder. It’s okay if you need a few tries to get it just right. Don’t forget to add perches! And a hanger.

5. When your feeder is complete, hang or mount it somewhere safe from predators.

Observe your bird feeder

Over the next few weeks observe all of the different birds that are visiting the feeder. 

Create or use your bird book from the Creative Challenge to record all of your observations. 

• Can you identify the birds that feed at the birdfeeder?

• Does the weather affect the bird feeder visits?

• What other factors seem to affect the birds?

• Do you notice a pattern in the time of day the birds visit?

Do your best to identify the different types of birds you see and learn where they may have migrated to and from for the winter months.

Caring for your bird feeder

It is very important now that you have created a successful bird feeder to keep it clean and safe for the birds that are using it. 

1. You will want to refill your feeder every 2 weeks, or when you notice there is no more feed in it!

2. Note: To prevent the spread of disease in birds like salmonellosis, refillable feeders should be thoroughly cleaned with soap and water between refills.

3. Clean up spilled seeds to keep away rodents and pests.

More information:

Notice: If you live close by to any poultry farms it is recommended not to have a bird feeder if there is Avian flu. Songbirds can spread the disease to other chickens for which the virus is usually fatal :(

Feeding Wild Birds - Quick tips on seed types and suet, by Calvor Palmateer 

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