Welcome Spring with DIY Birdhouses and Feeders

I am really ready for spring, especially after a cold Easter weekend. One of my favorite parts of spring is when the birds come back. A great way to roll out the welcome mat for them is to make a bird house or create a birdfeeder.

DIY Birdhouse Ideas    

With items you have around the house you can create a welcome home for them.

• Bleach Bottle Birdhouse
   To make, you’ll need: Any type of plastic bottle. Make sure it is cleaned out thoroughly.Cut a 1 1/2-inch hole in the bottle approximately 6 inches from bottom of a half-gallon bottle. One-inch below the hole, make another small hole with a paper punch. Insert a three-inch piece of dowel, and super glue in hole. This is the perch. Use a small nail to poke holes in bottom of bottle for drainage. Paint outside of bottle to look like a house.

• “Larry Bird” House
   To make, you’ll need: Basketball, funnel, three-wire plant hanger and a three-inch piece of wooden dowel. Cut hole in top of basketball large enough for your hand. In front of basketball, cut a 11/2-inch hole for “doorway.” One-inch below the doorway, cut a small hole and insert the three-inch length wooden dowel. Super glue in place. This is the perch. Holding funnel with small end up, insert 3-wire hanger through small opening. Attach wires to ball around large hole made in top of ball. Poke holes in bottom of ball for drainage. Slide funnel down to cover top opening of ball.

• Bird Condo
  To make, you’ll need: six pieces of PVC pipe, 2 to 3-inches in diameter and 4-inche slong, purple spray paint, silk leaves and raffia. Paint inside and outside of pipe with purple spray paint. Let dry thoroughly. Glue PVC pipe together using hot-glue gun or wood glue. Tie raffia bow and glue to top of cluster along with a few silk leaves. This unique and easy-to-assemble birdhouse was made to look like a cluster of grapes when looking at open ends of pipes.

Creative DIY Birdfeeders    

• Coconut Birdfeeder:
  Poke small holes in top of coconut; drain out coconut milk. Cut hole approximately 2 inches in diameter on side of coconut. Pull heavy-guage wire through top of coconut and hang from tree. Birds will fly inside and eat the coconut.

• Pinecone Birdfeeder:
  You’ll need 1/2 cup bacon grease, 1/2 cup cornmeal, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, and 1/4 cup birdseed (or sunflower seeds). Mix cooled bacon grease, peanut butter and cornmeal together. Push mixture up into and all over a pinecone. Roll pinecone in birdseed. Hang with string or wire from tree.

• Bird Trail Mix Birdfeeders:
  You’ll need a small plastic margarine container with lid, three empty thread spools, heavy-guage wire, sunflower seeds, birdseed, raisins, and cracked corn. Poke small holes in bottom of plastic margarine container for drainage. In center of container, poke hole large enough to accommodate heavy-guage wire. Bend end of wire so it won’t pull through hole. Thread empty spools onto the heavy-guage wire. Poke hole in center of plastic lid. Thread onto wire. Make a loop with end of wire to hang in tree. Fill margarine container with seeds, raisins, ect. Hang in tree.