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These DIY bird feeders will look s’peck’tacular in your garden

14 Feb 2023

Look no ‘feather’, these DIY bird feeders are the colourful touch your garden needs, and may also help to deter the birds from eating your summer veggies! With the help of some Resene paint colours, and some hungry feathery friends around, you can brighten up your outdoors. The kids can help paint too and they will love watching the birds come in for a snack once these bird feeders are hung up. 

What you need: 

Step 1: Start by cutting your board into three 40cm-long lengths and three 10cm long lengths. Sand any rough edges smooth. Prime the boards with one coat of Resene Quick Dry.  

Step 2: You can paint in any colours and patterns you choose. If you’re looking to try the same design as Fleur, you can paint one of the short boards and diagonally over half of one of the long boards in your same chosen colour. Follow this design on the other boards. Fleur used Resene Pirate Gold, Resene Spinnaker and Resene Calypso.  

Step 3: Once the paint is dry, use some painters tape to tape off the long boards on an angle and paint the remaining diagonal area in your chosen Resene colour. Fleur used Resene Planter, Resene Lemon Ginger and Resene Mexican Red. 

Step 4: Once the paint is dry, use some wood glue to attach the short piece of board to the long piece. Use an electric drill and screws to secure it. You could also add an angle bracket for extra strength.  

Step 5: Use clear waterproof sealant to glue a small glass bowl on to the short boards. An op shop is a great way to find small bowls, otherwise you can reuse something you have around the house.    

Step 6: Drill two sets of holes on either side of the bottle at the top and bottom and thread some 16-gauge wire through the holes to hold the bottle in place. Make sure the bottle sits slightly above the bottom of the bowl to leave enough room for more bird feed to come out. Twist the wire ends together at the back. Drill a hole at the top of the board so that the feeder can be hung by a nail or screw.  

Finish by using a kitchen funnel to pour bird seed into each of the bottles. 

project and images Fleur Thorpe  

Published: 14 Feb 2023