Making a bird feeder is a fantastic project in itself, it will also mean you end up with a bird feeder to put in your garden or local green space!
Making bird feeders requires the use of a saw and a knife so please ensure you are with an adult and that you use these tools safely. Make sure you are working in an area with enough space to work safely without anyone else coming through.
Make your bird feeder
Getting started
1. Cut a disk for your feeder from the large piece of wood using the bow saw.
2. Drill a hole in the centre of the disk with a large drill bit.
3. Drill four holes equally spaced out (north, south, east and west) with the small drill bit into the side of the disk (into the bark).
Twig Support
4. Insert a small twig into each of the four holes around the outside of the disk. Use your peeler or knife to make the twigs thinner if needed. Use the mallet to firm the twigs into place, being careful not to snap them.
5. Insert a larger twig in the centre hole, using the mallet if needed. Sharpen the end of this stick into a point, this is to enable an apple or bird seed fat ball to be pushed onto the spike.
Hanging your feeder
6. Take two pieces of string, around 50cm each. With the first piece of string make a clove hitch at one end and slide it over one of the twigs around the outside (north). Make a clove hitch around the other end of the string and slide it over the opposite twig (south).
7. Repeat with a second piece of string on the other two twigs (east and west).
8. Gather all the string together in the middle, tying an over hand knot to make a hanging loop for your feeder.
9. Place an apple or bird seed fat ball on to the spike and hang away from cats.
Bird Visitors
Once your bird feeder is in position, keep an eye out to see the birds that visit. See if you can identify what species they are. If you live in the UK a great resource for identifying birds is the RSPB Bird Identifier. You could keep a diary of the birds and animals that visit the feeder.
Take it Further
Find out some more about birds with our Bird Behaviour activity. There are also lots more activities using bushcraft skills, including making leaf presses and cooking damper bread over a fire.
