Rustic Garden Bird Feeder

Here is a great way to attract a variety of birds to your garden! This rustic garden bird feeder will be visited by both tree clinging and perching birds. The combination of suet and seeds makes this feeder quite versatile.

Materials

• A 12" to 18" long log with a diameter of about 3" to 4".
• Four, 7" long sticks with a 3/4" diameter.
• One, 8" long stick with a 1/2" diameter.
• Two, 3 3/4" long sticks with a 1/2".
• A 9" x 9" piece of aluminum window screen.
• Eleven 1 1/4" screws or nails (I mostly used screws).
• Eight 1/2" brad nails.
• Eye hook. (I used a 1 3/8" long eye hook).
• Some sort of durable cord to hang the feeder.
• Wild birdseed and suet (step 5 shows instructions for homemade suet).

Tools

• Saw.
• Snips for cutting screen.
• Screw gun, and/or hammer.
• Drill.
• 1/8" drill bit (for pilot holes).
• 7/8" drill bit.
• Pen or pencil.
• Ruler.

Drill a pilot hole through each of the 7" sticks (3/8" away from one end). On the other end drill a pilot hole into the center of the cut end. Now lay the four sticks in a square and screw them together.

Fold over a 1/4" on each edge of the screen square to make it less sharp. Then use the brad nails to attach the screen to the stick frame. (Tip: once the nails are mostly hammered in, you can bend over the heads to secure the screen more firmly and not let the heads slip through).

Next, drill pilot holes and nail (or screw) the 8" stick across the square frame on the side with the screen. Then nail (or screw) the two 3 3/4" sticks to the opposite sides from the 8" stick, forming a cross. This will form the bottom of the feeder.

Using the 7/8" drill bit, drill about 6 holes randomly spaced around the log. The holes should be a little less than an inch deep.

Once the holes are drilled in the log and the tray for the bottom is assembled, you can attach the tray to the log. Drill pilot holes in the sticks that cross at the middle of the tray. Then screw the tray to the bottom of the log with the screen in between the crossed stick and the log. On the top of the log screw in the eye hook. The feeder is now ready to be hung!

You can buy suet to put in the holes, or you can easily make your own.

Here is the recipe that I used:

• 1/2 cup shortening (I used margarine).
• 1/4 cup peanut butter.
• 1 heaping cup wild birdseed.
• 1/3 cup quick oats.
• 8 tsp. cornmeal.

Blend the shortening and the peanut butter in a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients and mix together. You should end up with a stiff chunky mash.

Note: Suet can spoil and go ransid in warm weather (above 50ºF). To keep the birds safe, hang the feeder in a shaded area and only put out as much suet as the birds can eat in a day or two.

Fill the holes with suet, and fill the tray with wild birdseed. Within a few minutes of hanging up my feeder, a pair of black-capped chickadees flew down and started eating! The next day I saw nuthatches, black-capped chickadees, tufted titmice, cowbirds, and a downy woodpecker. I hope you enjoy your feeder as much as I've enjoyed mine!