Several REALLY EASY Bird feeders

So we were talking at work today about bird feeders and I thought I would look for a few quick and easy bird feeder ideas.

Plastic Jar Bird Feeder
Here is a list of the things you will need.

• A small plastic jar like a peanut butter jar.
• 3 inches of 1/8 inch dowel (round wood).
• 8 inches of wire or string.
• Waterproof glue or hot melt glue.

Wash out a small empty plastic peanut butter container or something similar.
Remove the label using hot soapy water. If you let is soak a while it will come off a lot easier.
Cut a 1 inch hole so the bottom of the hole is about 1 to 1 1/2 inches up from the bottom of the container.
Make a small hole just below the 1 inch hole, big enough for the piece of wood dowel.
Poke the 1/8 inch dowel into the small hole and glue it in place.
Poke another small hole in the middle of the lid for the wire or string to go through.
Run the string or wire through the hole in a loop and tie it off in a big not so it won't pull out.
Put the lid on the jar and there you have it, a bird feeder.

TIP: If you don't like bird seeds sprouting in your flower gardens, spread the bird seed out on a cookie sheet and bake in a 250 degree oven for 1/2 hour.
Here's another idea for a bird feeder using an empty half gallon milk or juice jug

MATERIALS./TOOLS
1 gallon milk jug with lid (a half-gallon milk jug or a regular bleach jug should work, too)
2 wooden 1/2 inch dowel rods, each about 10 inches long (you could also use tree branches that are sturdy_
2 pieces of pliable wire, at least 8 inches long each
1 2- to 3-foot length of rope or an old narrow belt
Markers
Box cutter or sharp knife
Scissors
Nail or heavy needle
Baking soda if needed

DIRECTIONS
Wash and rinse the jug. If there is a strong odor of spoiled milk and/or stubborn milk residue, fill with hot water, add a tablespoon of baking soda and let sit for a couple of hours before proceeding. Rinse well and let the jug and cap dry.
Draw your doors on two opposite sides and where you want the dowels for perches. The perches should be centered beneath the doorways. The first perch should be about 2 inches from the bottom and the door about 1/2 inch or so above that. One side will need to be about 1/2 inch lower than the other so the perches have clearance to cross each other in the center.
Using the point of the knife, make a cut at the center of your door large enough to get a blade of your scissors through. This will make cutting easier. Cut outward and at an angle towards the line you've drawn. This makes following your outline, rounding the corners and getting the shape you want easier.
Fill with wild birdseed up to the bottom of the lowest opening.
VARIATION
You can also make a feeder with just one opening/perch, as shown in the photo here.


Decorate your milk jug!























Source for plastic jar feeder: http://www.runnerduck.com/kc_plastic_birdhouse.htm

Source for milk jug bird feeder photos and info: http://weblogs.dailypress.com/features/gardening/diggin-in/2010/12/recycle_a_milk_jug_into_a_bird_1.html