DIY bird feeders

Board tray feeder

A flat tray feeds the most kinds of birds: cardinals, jays, doves, juncos and sparrows. Cedar resists rot without chemicals, and drainage holes plus open corners let rain run straight out. You need one 1x12 and one 1x2 cedar board, a drill, a saw and stainless or galvanized screws.

1. Cut the 1x12 to an 11¼ in square for the base.
2. Cut the 1x2 into four 9¾ in strips for the rim.
3. Drill nine ¼ in drainage holes in a grid across the base.
4. Screw one strip along each edge with 1¼ in screws, centered so a ¾ in gap stays open at every corner.
5. Twist an eye screw into each corner and hang the tray from four chains joined at a ring, or screw it to a post top.
6. Sand off splinters and leave the wood bare: no paint, stain or sealer where food sits.

Log suet feeder

A drilled log holds suet the way bark holds insects, and woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees cling to it to feed. Use a hardwood branch that is sound and dry.

1. Cut a 12 in length of branch 3 to 4 in across.
2. Drill five 1 in holes, 1 in deep, staggered around the log, with a spade or Forstner bit.
3. Twist an eye screw into the top and hang it near a tree trunk.
4. Press suet or a suet-and-seed mix into the holes, and refill as birds empty them.
5. In warm weather, use no-melt suet or take the log in.

Keep a homemade feeder healthy

Clean it every week or two, and more often after rain or busy days: scrape out old food, scrub with hot soapy water, rinse and let it dry before you refill. Wood that stays damp or grows mold goes in the trash; build another. Use untreated wood and stainless or galvanized screws, never pressure-treated lumber, and skip bread and kitchen scraps.

Hang it within 3 ft of a window, as USFWS advises, so a bird leaving the feeder cannot build up speed toward the glass, or out in the yard where you can see it from inside.

Why not a plastic bottle feeder?

Bottle feeders are quick to make but hard to scrub: seed packs into the base and the ports, and thin plastic cracks in the sun. If you build one, use a wide-mouth bottle you can reach into with a brush, and replace it when it clouds or cracks. A bought tube that comes apart, such as the Droll Yankees Ring Pull, is easier to keep clean.