There are a few hobbies more relaxing than bird watching. It is a calm way to observe nature and has positive psychological benefits, too. For ornithologists and DIY lovers alike, this wine bottle hack will encourage more birds to visit your yard. You can create a gravity bird feeder with a wine bottle, a few tools, some pieces of wood, and minimal hardware. The gravity feeder consists of a wooden structure, support screws, and an inverted wine bottle. It can be mounted on a post, a fence, or hung from a tree with additional hardware.
Simplistic in design, the feeder is mostly self-functioning. When you fill the bottle with seeds and turn it upside down, it will allow the seeds to fall into the feeder’s base. The remaining seeds will stay inside the bottle until they have more room to disperse. Then, as your avian visitors eat, more seeds will be released. Gravity feeders require fewer refills so you can sit back with your binoculars and field guide and wait for the birds.
What you need to build a gravity bird feeder
Building a gravity bird feeder requires few materials but some technical know-how. You’ll need a wine bottle, bird seed, a funnel, a pencil, 1-inch thick, soft pine wood or cedar, nails, screws, a drill, a saw, a protractor, a hammer, and wood glue. Safety goggles, a mask, protective earwear, and gloves are also recommended. The process is fairly straightforward, but you will need to operate a saw. If cutting wood to size is daunting, ask your local hardware store if they have a woodcutting service.
First, cut one piece of wood to 17 inches long and 6 inches wide; this is the back plate. At one end of the wood cut a 45-degree angle point. To do this, find the midpoint on the top of the wood. Then, create a 45-degree angle with your protractor and connect the midpoint to either side of the wood. Next, cut the two side pieces at 13 inches long and 2 inches wide. Then, create the 6-inch base and two sides. Lastly, measure and cut the two roof pieces.
Transform a wine bottle into a gravity bird feeder
First, put wood glue on the bottom of the back panel and press it down firmly so it stands atop the base piece. Next, glue the two edge pieces to either side of the base. For further stability, hammer nails into the joinings. Then, align the bottom piece and attach it with wood glue. To assemble the roof, glue one long edge and an adjoining short edge of the shorter roof piece. Press the long edge down along the top angle of the back panel. Finally, glue the long edge of the other roof piece so it overlaps the shorter one and makes a perfect triangle. This is the structure of your feeder.
To hold the bottle inlace, drill three screws into the base — the center screw should be shorter than the first and third screws. Place the bottle so that the neck sits between the screws and drill another screw to hold the top of the bottle. The bottle should fit into place without further support, or you can add some twine as shown above. Use the funnel to fill the bottle with seed, turn it upside down with your finger in the opening, pop it into place, and gravity will do the rest.
