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We’ve seen DIYers who like to go thrifting discover shiny old-school brass chandeliers and modernize them into something cool. It’s amazing what the right coat of paint can do to provide a design update. But if you’ve gone out of your way to revamp an outdated chandelier – but don’t want to hang it, or you’ve got one that you’d like to repurpose — your old friend could become a unique bird feeder. With a few custom adjustments, it’ll attract many new visitors to your yard and increase the number of birdsongs you get to hear.
Although hanging a fully blinged-out crystal chandelier outside as a bird feeder might appear a little absurd (if you do, congratulations on declaring yourself as the neighborhood eccentric), not every chandelier needs to look quite so grand. A chandelier is simply a hanging light with multiple bulbs. That’s distinct from a pendant — a hanging light with only one bulb. So, for this hack, you’ll want to use a chandelier fixture with curving branches (aka arms) and minimal, if any, hanging trinkets. Think of the arms as bird butlers serving your feathered guests a buffet of food.
How to repurpose your chandelier into a bird attractor
@norsevampirate
repurposed an old chandelier into a hummingbird feeder. #hummingbird #birdfeeder #repurposed #bird #diy #upcycle
♬ Arabesque – Debussy – Michael Charles Clark
Nearly every chandelier is different, so you’ll probably need to creatively adapt this hack to make sense with the shape of your lamp. If you intend to attract hummingbirds, consider painting your chandelier red — a color they love. To create an expanded hummingbird diner, see if you can drill holes into the bottom of each arm and securely screw in a hook (use a nut and bolt if you can). If your chandelier has five arms, purchase five lightweight hummingbird feeders and suspend them from the hook on each branch.
Alternatively, to create a feeder for virtually any other wild bird species, you could secure small, lightweight bowls to a level surface at the end of each (assuming the branches on your chandelier face upwards). Use a powerful adhesive, like WeldBond, which is $14 on Amazon. To attract the most diverse species, offer different seeds in each bowl (using suet in winter) and securely hang the chandelier and bowl combo from your pole.
Take the combined weights of extra feeders, bowls, and birds into account. Investigate heavy-duty shepherd’s hook poles from Amazon (this one is under $35). Note that free and easy access to bird food will attract squirrels and other pests as well, so be prepared to keep unwanted pests out of your bird feeder. Make sure to plant your bird feeding station in the least windy spot on your property, and you’ll attract colorful new birds!
