Birds have borne the worst brunt of our times. From lack of green cover, decrease in food availability, climatic changes, to cell phone tower radiations, it is no surprise that they are disappearing at an alarming rate, in large numbers and in variety of species. We have now reached a stage where we scream in delight if we spot the little sparrow outside the city limits.

Birds are indicators of the environment.
If they are in trouble,
we know we’ll soon be in trouble.
Roger Tory Peterson

Make your own rustic bird feeder - Click on the image for the tutorial

I live in soon-to-be-extinct-place where there are few birds left. Apart from crows and eagles, I get to see sparrows, humming birds, sun birds, cuckoo, and many that I don’t identify. Mornings bring in the ubiquitous chirps and flutter, thanks to few green trees and shrubs around.

And here is my attempt to make a simple bird feeder that is easy to fill, clean and offers a great view of the lovely little creatures.

Bird feeders are plenty in design shapes and sizes. The simplest is placing a plate full of grains by your window sill to the most complex web-enabled, solar-powered, automated bird feeder that I recently heard of. Phew!

Here is a simple visual tutorial that needs no sweat or sophistication and is ready in few minutes. All you need is a plate, binding wire in metal or rope, pliers or scissors. It is a simple hanger thought I would like to try my hand at some complex contraptions that I fancy, in future.

3 Simple things for a Simple Bird Feeder Tutorial

I had an old favorite plate that I had picked from flea market two decades back. It served its purpose of holding my paints and art supplies. When I looked around for a plate with an edge that would make a perfect perch for the bird’s delicate feet, this fitted the bill. So this lovely old plate graduated to being a bird feeder. I was happy to be able to use something that was already there.

Binding wire is available in all hardware stores and sells by kilograms. This is one versatile material that can be put to many uses and is any craft makers staple material of choice. I used two long metal wire strings to secure the plate and to join it at the top to be able to hang the plate.

This plate is so beautiful and shallow that it also makes a perfect bird bath. That would be my next project if I find something more suitable to feed the birds with. Till then, its Bon appétit for birds!

3 DIY Steps to Making Bird Feeder

The wire holds the dish so make it as sturdy as possible. Im this case, the plate was very heavy and is less likely to topple in the city winds. The weight holds the dish down so I could make do with few wires without securing the plate. Also, it makes it easy for me to remove the dish for washing or replenishing the grains.

I had an old ball of knotted roots that I used to conceal the hideous wire knot on top. You could use anything there. Or even better, tie a good looking knot. Throw in an extra twig of branch for more grip or perching options for birds.

Bird Foodgrains in the bird feeder

Bird Feeding – Care and Concerns

The biggest challenge would be to keep the bird feeding plate clean as it tends to get dirty due to the birds or weather, which in turn may lead to birds falling sick.

The bird feeder needs to be close to some kind of refuge that the bird can take I case it senses danger of any kind. In this case, there was a small tree nearby. Hang it in a way that no cat can jump to grab them.

They say that it takes time for birds to find this new source of food and it may take a few days for them to become regular visitors. But I guess since birds frequent here a lot, this feeder will be discovered soon. I hope that I can keep it clean, filled and safe – always.

Feed the Birds - Create a Clean & Safe Haven

Its been a happy event to make this feeder with my kid in tow. The bird feeder now hangs, filled with birdie-goodies, swaying gently to the cool evening breeze. We cannot wait to see a bird feeding there. Im so full of anticipation but also know that surprises happen when you least expect it.

There are so many lovely people, organisations, and societies that are doing their bit to save the birds. We know that these minute things cannot match the pace of destruction that is taking place. But making little changes helps and inspires. When all of it adds up, there are results to show.

One fine morning, the birds might just start chirping in your balcony. So why dont you go ahead and try it? And when you do add your love and hope into it.

Do share with me your ideas and projects.

HAPPY UPDATE
After weeks of making this feeder, I could finally capture the little birds on my camera. Everyday, the grains depleted but I could never spot the birds. I was wondering if I should change the location to attract the birds. But lo behold, I am more than happy to share this.

Bon appetit Birdies

Lovely little pecks!

Stomach full of Happiness

I learnt about patience now. Nature works in its own ways.

Here is a little tutorial to get you and your kid excited on making the simplest handmade paper greeting cards for any special occasion that is comming your way:

A Lovely Set of Ecofriendly - Handmade Greeting Cards made from Recycled Paper

 We had a lovely time cutting paper, pasting the boats, tying the bows and so much more. Nothing can be more satisfying than having to do little things with children. It is amazing to see how much a 2-yr old tiny tot learns and absorbs while trying to help. This card making had many lessons for kids ranging from colors, textures, shapes, motor skills, to much more.

Since we had some blue paper, red handmade paper, corrugated paper, satin ribbon and tools at home, we chose for an easy-to-make card using whatever was available instead of buying from the store. The simplest design we could come up with, given the color constraint, was of a boat sailing in blue waters with a dash of yellow to subtly highlight the card.

We thought of a nice short and easy birthday message to be printed on the card. We came up with:

I’m having a little do
as I am completing 2

Please join me on DATE at our regular joint for some cake, crispies, and fun.

While it is nice to turn twoIts much more fun with you!
See You around!
NAME

For a rough template, take a print-out of the message after aligning the text. . To save paper, I made two cards out of one A4 sheet of paper. Have checked for proper alignment and spacing on regular paper, I printed the invitation message on a blue paper. Cut the edges clean using a serrated edges scissors and fold on top and bottom. The bottom serrated line is to indicate the waves on which the boat is sailing. 

Step-by-Step Approach to Making your Own Invitation Cards

I chose red-colored handmade paper a cover for the card. Place the red paper on the blue paper and let the blue paper overlap. The blue overlap at the bottom is to indicate that the boat is sailing on blue water. The top fold can be construed as blue sky. Staple the top fold, containing the red paper within to secure the two papers in place. Punch two holes on the top fold to let the yellow ribbon through. This ribbon is tied up into a cute bow.

Boat and Water Theme for Kids Birthday Greetings

Take corrugated paper and cut out two pieces per card in the shape of a boat. This can stuck with glue or stapled to the red card cover. Cut out a little flag (we chose yellow to go with the ribbon color) and stick it like a flag-mast. Your card is now ready.

Red and Brown on Blue

You can make cards with other color options and choose themes ranging from a garden, traffic signals, playground, to classroom and more. There are many options in the market to decorate your card – ranging from glitter, colored glue, readymade cutouts, etc. Since the purpose of these cards is to be eco-friendly, there were no external goods involved. Keep the card making simple and clean – for the kid will love getting involved with it.

Box full of eco-friendly birthday invitation cards - an attempt to catch them young

It was great fun when my kid went around distributing the cards to his play school mates. We invited the kids and their parents for the do. Needless to say, everyone loved the cards. And we loved the whole experience.