DIY Gifts For Birders

By Kirsten Sweet

Homemade gifts add a personal touch that comes only from making something yourself. Combine that with the trendy green movement, and you've got yourself a top-notch gift.

These artists, from the popular website etsy.com, make it easy for you to craft a truly special gift for the birder in your life. Simply find a bird feeder style you like from the ideas here, follow the tips to make your own, and get ready to be the most popular gift giver in your crowd.

And if you'd rather buy one of these distinctive feeders, you can easily go to the creator's Etsy shop and order one. You can still say it was homemade—just not by you!

License Plate Feeder

Get your hands on some old license plates and get to work on this clever feeder. Dominique Lacey came up with the idea for these covered feeders using three-and-a-half license plates. In addition to the plates, she makes her feeders with an old clothes hanger and some metal screws or rivets.

Make it yourself:

• For the top of the feeder, look for two plates with similar weight and complementary colors.
• Line the two top plates up together by the top bolt holes. The overlap is your bend line.
• Use tin snips to cut the half plate into four pieces to be used as the side connectors.
• The last license plate is the base. Mark a line about 5/8 inch around the edge. Bend the sides up and overlap them to form corners.
• Bend a coat hanger into a V, thread the ends into the holes at the top, and hang it up!
• We also have a different style of license plate feeder. Look for it at the Backyard Projects section.

Buy it: Visit Dominique's Etsy shop, where she sells this feeder and other items made from old license plates.

Porch Swing Feeder

Make a wooden porch swing feeder for your favorite bird-watcher with tips from Bill Littlejohn. Bill uses recycled wood whenever he can. If possible, he likes to start this project with a 1- by 6-inch cedar board and cut the pieces from there.

Make it yourself:

• Save money by cutting the wood into pieces yourself. Or buy precut pieces.
• Assemble the base of the feeder with square-headed screws. They withstand harsh weather better than nails.
• Instead of a solid wood bottom, use a screen for drainage.
• The wood slats that make up the back and seat of the swing are attached with glue and nails.
• This feeder is a Birds & Blooms original! Look for the plans on the Backyard Projects section.

Buy it: Visit Bill's Etsy shop. He also sells a variety of wooden feeders and birdhouses.

Stylish Tray Feeders

Tray feeders can be pretty basic. So why not jazz them up, like these feeders by Anita Baxley? She loves making something new from something old, especially when it's fashioning bird feeders out of scrap lumber.

Gather the recycled lumber of your choice, some old chain, a couple of vintage drawer knobs and some old window screen, and you're all set.

Make it yourself:

• Sand, paint and then sand the wood again to create a distressed finish.
• Build the feeder box with nails and glue.
• Attach the chains with the drawer knobs.
• Add any other knobs or accessories the recipient might like. The beauty of this is that you can customize it any way you want to.
• Attach the screen to the bottom of the feeder with glue or staples. Cover with wood trim if you'd like.

Buy it: Visit Anita's Etsy shop where she sells a variety of handcrafted feeders.

Mason Jar Feeder

This feeder is cute as a bug! Who knew a mason jar and some wire could look like a masterpiece? Don Hutchings makes these feeders, which are perfect for outdoor bird feeding or even an indoor decoration. Instead of welding, Don suggests using J-B Weld, a product you can buy at home improvement and hardware stores.

Make it yourself:

• Don suggests using 6 feet of 9-gauge wire to wrap around the jar, and 15 feet of 14- to 16-gauge wire for the wings.
• Wrap 9-gauge wire around the jar, leaving 2 inches at the end.
• Roll the next wire into a 10-inch circle, leaving 18 inches at the end. Squeeze the circle in the middle, using the remaining length to wrap around the coil.
• Use two washers as the eyes. Connect them with J-B Weld and let dry. Then attach with J-B Weld to the front of the jar.
• Apply substantial amount of J-B Weld to the bottom of wings and attach them to the wire around the jar.

Buy it: Don sells these gorgeous feeders in his Etsy shop along with other recycled garden art. Or visit his website.

Mosaic Feeder

The birds probably won't appreciate the cool, stylish design of this feeder, but it's sure to have some human admirers. Kay Thomerson designs these mosaic feeders, which are truly one of a kind. When you're working with stained glass mosaic pieces, one piece is never quite like another.

Make it yourself:

• Kay uses scraps and leftovers from stained glass.
• You can draw out a design (like the birdhouse design of the one pictured) or just use an abstract shape.
• Draw out the shape you want. Then use a mosaic nipper to cut the pieces to the size and shape you need.
• Glue the pieces to the base, a clay pot saucer. Once the glue is dry, use nonsanded grout to fill it in. Kay likes to use a grout color that will let the colors of the mosaic stand out. Let the grout dry for at least 24 hours.

Buy it: Visit Kay's Etsy shop to buy this feeder and other garden-themed items made of glass.

Traffic Light Feeder

The materials for this feeder might be hard to get your hands on, but don't be discouraged. Use the DIY tips from Jenny Carcia to make your own, even if you have to use some other recycled material. Try using pie pans or plates! Jenny is best known for these feeders, which are made from old traffic light lenses, used rubber washers and used brass chain link.

Make it yourself:

• Create a removable base. This makes cleaning much easier.
• Turn brass chain into S hooks by prying the hooks open. Then use the hooks to attach the pieces of the feeder together.
• Use stainless steel cable to connect the top and bottom. Or try using wire or even chain links instead!

Buy it: Check out Jenny's Etsy shop. She sells a variety of unusual feeders made from traffic lights.

Copper Oriole Feeder

Whether you make or buy this feeder, it will be as gorgeous as the birds it's meant to attract. Heather Eckhardt this designed this style, which holds half an orange to feed those beautiful orioles. It's truly a work of art, so any birder or gardener will appreciate it!

Keep in mind that copper is extremely sharp after it is cut and needs to be buffed with a wire wheel to dull the edges a bit.

Make it yourself:

• The feeder is made from a 48-inch copper tube. Use copper wire and copper sheets if you want to add some decoration.
• Shape the copper tube using pliers. Form a small circle and continue making three circles (wider as you go) to hold the orange half.
• Continue bending the copper tube in a design that makes it easy to hang. For example, bend it up, down and then around itself, as shown in the picture.

Buy it: Take a look at Heather's Etsy shop, to buy this feeder and other stunning items made of copper.