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I bought some bird seed and a feeder the other day because grasshoppers can go fuck themselves. While we already have so many birds in our yard, I want to attract more because they make wonderful relaxing tweets and because they eat grasshoppers! Last year we had a straight up apocalype moment in our yard with millions (maybe a stretch, but there were tons) of grasshoppers descending on our yard and eating absolutely everything in sight. They took down trees, my vegetable garden, my perennials and pissed me off to no end.
So, this year I’m attracting birds! Except, I bought the wrong bird feeder for the bird seed medley I had chosen. Annoyed and definitely not willing to risk the store again, I figured I could make my own. A mason jar with some burlap and a stick glued to it was my first foray into the bid feeder world, my second turned out much better! I had some coffee cup and saucer sets that had a chip in them so I figured they’d make a great bird feeder.
What you’ll need:
– twine (or try some fun coloured twine to jazz it up!)
– scissors
– heavy duty glue (I likeLePage glues best. The one I use is actually a wood glue, but it works well for a lot of my projects. This is what I used, and is incredibly strong. Don’t get it on your fingers!)
– teacup or coffee cup, including saucer
– bird seed
– pieces of wood/pens/something to keep your cup in place while drying
Wipe down your teacup or coffee cup and rid it of any dust that it may have accumulated.
Place the glue on the bottom of your cup with the handle facing up. Push down on the saucer with your teacup sitting towards the back of the plate, leaving a bit of room at the front. Hold it down until it stays for a few seconds without falling over.
I used wood glue even though there was no wood involved in this project. It’s extremely durable and heavy duty, so I wasn’t worried and it worked out just fine! Plus, there was no way I was heading out to a store just for glue. It is best to use glue for your specific medium, though.
Take your supports and place them beside the cup to hold it in place and in front so it doesn’t slide forward. If it does, it’s not the end of the world; your feeder will still do its job, but not look as nice. I made two and one ended up a little further forward than I wanted.
Wait until your glue fully dries. That was about 24 hours for me. I thought it had dried sooner, but a quick hanging test showed me I was incorrect.
Tie your twine around the handle of the cup, looping it around a couple of times, making a hole to hang a branch through.
Fill with bird seed, hang up and enjoy your birdies!
