DIY A Natural Bird Feeding Station From Repurposed Garden Materials

Bird lovers are accustomed to seeing a variety of feathered friends flitting by to collect a seed or two (or 20) at bird feeders. Those feeders are typically swaying from tree branches or poles in the yard. They might be attached to a window with suction cups like the acrylic bird feeder by Wenmixer, which offers a close-up view avian seed selection. You might have gotten creative and tried to DIY a bird feeder on a budget with essentials from your local Dollar Tree using a mug or a pretty cup and saucer held together with waterproof adhesive. Maybe you love your local birds a lot and really went wild when you found out you could DIY 14 Dollar Tree feeders to attract birds on a budget using everything from soda bottles to chip and dip trays! Creator @charlottesbirdseed understands you. In a TikTok video, she shared that she wanted to create a bigger bird feeder using items she already had. The result was to DIY a natural bird feeding station from repurposed garden materials. A pair of old garden trellises gave her — and the birds — a lofty feeding perch built from items she already had or sourced from nature.

Gardeners are used to filling up their sheds or garages with things that were quite useful in their day before becoming rusty, ragged, and relegated to a corner to collect spider webs. That's where this bird feeding station comes in; it's a great way to repurpose a few old planters and some metal supports. Add some other items and various flora collected here and there, then wait for the birds to check it out.

Create your natural bird feeding station by placing two old planters where you want the feeder. Fill them with dirt for stability. Plants are optional, but you should cover the dirt with a thick layer of mulch to prevent the birds' seeds from taking root. Into each, insert vertical supports like metal trellises, which may need to be opened up using bolt cutters so you can shape them. Wear protective eyewear like these anti-scratch, anti-fog safety glasses before cutting. You also can use other sturdy vertical items you may have, perhaps old tomato cages, which can serve the same purpose just without the decorative scrolls that a trellis has. Whatever items you use to create a vertical rise, remember to pull them toward the center to create an arch shape. Use additional trellis material, wires, mesh, or whatever else you have on hand to make a shelf under the arch, then zip tie or lash it to the vertical supports.

The bird café is almost ready to open! Place an old baking sheet on the shelf for shallow dishes of birdseed and other yummies you make to attract birds to your yard, like Martha Stewart's clever DIY feeder, a suet-based creation. Lastly, attach plant matter and dried flower seedheads. Think ahead so you can grow plants that will produce seedheads for autumn and winter. When they're done blooming, leave them alone. They'll give your birds a treat, and will be easy on your wallet, too. Leave them where they've grown, or decorate your bird feeding display with them once they've started to wither.