Backyard birds won’t know the difference between a fancy, store-bought bird feeder and one that’s homemade, so save your pennies and make a milk carton into a Birdhouse or a BirdFeeder.  The size of the opening will determine if it is suitable for a feeder or house.

Need:

• Milk carton, any size.
• Dowel or pencil for perch
• Stapler
• Scissors
• Acrylic paint / brush
• String or wire for hanging

What To Do:

1. Wash and dry selected milk carton.
2. Staple top shut.
3. If making a “house” cut the hole only 1 – 1 1/2 ” wide on one side only.  If making a feeder, make a hole that is about 2 1/2 ” wide or cut a square hole (make hole on both sides).
4. Make a tiny hole, on both sides,  to slide perch into.
5. Paint birdhouse / feeder and then decorate with paint or sticky back foam.  (* for good paint adhesion, if you are concerned about a lasting project, paint carton with gesso first, so paint will adhere to carton well.)
6. Attach a wire or string to hang birdhouse/ feeder.

Suggestions:
• If you plan to do a lot of bird watching, hang the feeder in a spot that you can see clearly from a window. If the bird feeder is some distance away, use binoculars or a spy glass to see the birds up close.
• Buy a good bird identification book and keep a record of all the species that turn up at your backyard feeding station. Record the date that you saw each bird, whether it was a male or female, or a pair of a birds. You may also want to add other observations about their size, appearance, special markings and behavior.
• Research the birds that you see to find out what types of foods they prefer, or experiment by offering different types of bird seed in your bird feeder to find out for yourself.