Photo credit: Michael Conti
Next time you enjoy a hearty soup, save the can to make your own springtime bird feeder. You will need an assortment of cans (size is up to you), paint colors of your choice; a long, skinny dowel rod; a ribbon for hanging and any extra decorations you want for the feeders. Here are the steps:
- Paint the cans using spray paint or acrylic paint in your favorite color(s).
- Once the base paint has dried, decorate your cans any way you wish. You can paint designs, such as polka dots or stripes, on them, or decorate them with ribbon.
- Cut the dowel rod into 4-inch pieces, then glue them to the inside edge of the cans, for the birds to sit on.
- Tie a ribbon around the feeder, hang it from a tree branch, fill it with birdseed and watch your feathered friends come to visit!
If you do this with one ribbon the bird is just going to flip the can and all the seeds onto the ground when they land on it. :/
Thanks for pointing that out.
You’re absolutely right, though the wooden dowel provides some balance. To make the bird feeder more stable, you can poke a hole in the bottom of the can and tie the string through it so that it hangs from both ends.
Thanks for pointing this out!
Jessy Yancey
editor, Tennessee Home & Farm
What a great way to recycle cans. I had a thought that I could use an old wooden spoon instead of a wooden dowel. I’ve got some small coffee cans that would work great also. Thanks for this great idea!
Cloths line is more serviceable than ribbon…get at $ store
Love this idea!!