Awake your winter garden with a birdfeeder

Simple homemade feeders
Pie tins make simple feeders for cardinals, blue jays, juncos and sparrows. For drainage holes, use a nail to punch small holes in the bottom and place the pie tin, slightly elevated, by a brick or flat rock-on a stump, rock or wall. For a hanging feeder, place the pie tin in a plant hanger.

A well washed, recycled plastic pop, bleach or vinegar bottle makes another inexpensive birdfeeder. Simply punch holes on opposite sides and poke a stick through both holes to create two perches. Two to three centimetres above each perch, make small holes for the birds to pull seeds out. (Make tiny holes if your feeder is for niger seed.) Tie a string around the bottle's neck, fill the bottle with seed and hang the feeder from a tree branch.

Small milk cartons make feeders that don't last long, but they're fun to make and easy to replace. Wash and thoroughly dry the milk carton. On the carton's front, cut a dime-size hole two or three centimetres from the bottom of the carton. Below the hole, poke a stick through from front to back to create a perch. Staple the top opening closed. To hang the feeder, poke a hole in the middle of the top of the carton, and thread a piece of yarn or string through it.

Related web sites

Birdfeeder Maintenance
Help the Audubon Society prevent at-risk birds from becoming threatened or endangered

Feather Quest
Guess what type of bird it is from a photo of a feather. There are also many hints to help you find the answer

North American Bird Sounds
The songs of many common North American birds, such as loons, gulls, woodpeckers and ducks

Bird Identification Info Centre
An online bird identification guide with over 200 species and 400 photographs

Watching Birds with Your Ears
Identifying birds by their sounds; frequently asked questions, bird tips, and more

BirdFeeder Cam
A new image uploads every 45 seconds from dawn to dusk Eastern Standard Time

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