Even on a good year January, is a month to spend time at home and look after ourselves and each other. Usually around this time we extend our love and kindness to our feathered friends and pay special attention to the garden birds. Putting out food regularly and making sure there is a source of clean water that hasn’t turned to ice, can keep us connected to nature when we might prefer to be indoors.

The birds usually repay us by keeping us entertained as we watch them from the window. Putting out a variety of food and types of feeders can increase the diversity of birds you attract to your garden and thus increasing the fun!

With that in mind we have shared five different types of bird feeders you can make at home. Most of the resources to make these are contained in our January Care Package or can be obtained easily.

The Upcycled Mug

This is a great way to reuse chipped mugs. To make this you will need an old mug, string and bird seed, which are all contained in the January pack you will also need a block of lard or veggie alternative.

Put the lard in a pan and heat until it has melted. Gradually stir in some bird seed until you are happy with the consistency. Then spoon the mixture into the cup. You can push a stick into the lard as it is setting to make a perch. You will find one in the January pack or you can forage for your own. Allow the mixture to set then tie a string to the cup handle and hang outside.

Any excess mixture can be used to fill hollowed oranges as explained below.

The Lego Feeding Station

If (by chance) you have a large amount of Lego in your house you could use some of it to make a bird feeder. We had great fun doing this and it really turned into a STEM challenge as we tried to answer questions and over come problems. Where should the food go? Will it hold enough food? How can the food be kept dry if it rains? Where will the birds perch? Where should the string attach? How can we make it strong enough to withstand a windy day?

You can use the bird seed and the string from the January pack to have a go at this. Just add Lego!

The Orange Skin

A hollowed out orange is simple and effective. The skin can be pieced on both sides and a string threaded through for hanging. There is a handy needle in the January pack for doing this. The orange can then be filled with the lard and bird seed mixture as described above or filled with loose bird seed.

Lolly Stick Bird Feeder

These bird feeders were fun to make and very popular with the birds! We have included natural lolly sticks in the January pack and you could choose to paint or colour these in. The glue will probably work better if you do this at the end.

The pack also contains a pot of wood glue and some string.

Start by making the bottom of the bird feeder by lining up 11 lolly sticks on a table. Secure these by gluing three more lolly sticks on top at a right angle. Turn this over and then start building up the walls by gluing sticks opposite each other. Alternating after each pair of sticks is added Keep going until the walls are around 8 lolly sticks high.

To secure the string turn the bird feeder over and place two lengths of string in between the lolly sticks. Add three more sticks cross ways on top to secure the sting. Once the bird feeder has been turned back over all four lengths of string can be tied together.

We have included two large lolly sticks to form perches in our January pack. You can decide where you think these should go.

Once the glue has fully dried the bird feeder can be filled with bird seed and hung outside.

The Apple

We have been making this simple little bird feeder in the woods for years. Pushing seeds into an apple is rather therapeutic and great for fine motor skills.

To make this bird feeder you need to core an apple. Find a good stick and attached a length of string to it using a Larks Head Knot. Then thread the ends of the string through the hole in the apple. This creates a hanging sting and perch for the birds.

You can then get to work pushing the sunflower seeds contained in the January pack into the apple.