Bird Feeders

The more feeders and nest boxes you have the more birds you will have in your yard.  You can get numerous styles of both in a wide price range.  If you love watching birds here is a video of one of our favorites.

The cheaper wood feeders are held together with staples will fall apart.  Squirrels also tend to eat these.  Good quality feeders are held together with screws and are often made with kiln dried cedar or pine.

It is a good idea to consider how easy a feeder is to fill or clean.

Many people like to make their own.  Below is a simple plan for a basic hopper feeder.

Platform feeders

Birds like the openness of platform feeders but the food will get scattered easily so it doesn't last as long.  They can also be messy.

just about any flat object such as piece of plywood can be used.  You can easily add raised sides to it to make a tray.  Make it into a fly through feeder by attaching a roof to it. Put the feeder on a pole or hang it in a tree.

If you are good with tools here is a nice covered tray design.

Basic Hopper Feeder

The food lasts longer and there is less mess with a hopper feeder. Here is a plan for a basic hopper feeder.

Attach the top and to the back so the top raises for adding food.  Get an eye hook for the top to hang or put the feeder on a pole.  The sheet of plastic slides into the grooves and rests on the baseboards.

If you add a perch you will attract larger birds.

Suet Feeder

Here is a simple suet feeder. Woodpeckers Chickadees and Nuthatches are just a few of the insect eating birds attracted to suet. See Food and Feeding for more information on suet and other food.

Other types of popular feeders are wire mesh or tube feeders.  Tube feeders are good for smaller birds like Finches or Sparrows. The wire mesh is good for peanuts and will attract birds like Woodpeckers, Blue jays and Chickadees.

Hummingbird Feeders

There are many feeder designs specifically for these fascination little birds.  Visit our Hummingbird Feeders page.

For information on food and feeding birds see Food and Feeding