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A recycled bottle bird feeder hanging in the garden
Making your own bird feeder is straightforward and satisfying. Using an old plastic milk bottle is a double win, giving the birds a feast and reducing waste.

Helpful Information

Timing: All year around

Where to do it: Indoors or outdoors

Garden space: Small garden, large garden or a balcony

  • Allows you to be creative and give new life to items that would otherwise go in the bin
  • There is joy to be had in supporting wildlife. A feeder helps birds get the energy and nutrition they need
  • Watching birds fly in and out of the garden is a treat. Quiet moments can be happily spent spotting different species
  • A study published in Nature in 2022 found encounters with bird life could create lasting improvements in mental wellbeing
A blue tit on a branch in the garden - pixabay
A blue tit on a branch in the garden

Plenty of smaller birds will enjoy perching on your bottle feeder and nibbling on seeds.

I enjoy feeding the birds with seeds, peanuts and bird cake. Though I don’t see them I do sometimes hear them and my visitors tell me there are quite a variety.

Jean, blind and deaf gardener

Look out for blue tits, great tits, finches robins, sparrows and more.

Top tip

When should you hang your bird feeder? The most important time of year is during the cold, winter months. This is when it is hardest for them to find natural food sources. But, you can feed birds all year around. They will soon learn you are a reliable place to go for a good meal!

Essential items

  • A plastic milk bottle with handle. Choosing a 4-pint or less size bottle will make it easier
  • One thin stick, around 10cm wider than width of bottle
  • String
  • Drawing pin (or something else to pierce the bottle)
  • Pencil to widen the initial hole
  • Scissors
  • Seeds/bird feed

Optional items

  • You can use other plastic drinks bottles if you do not have a milk bottle. A milk bottle allows for easier hanging from the handle

Tools to make it easier

  • A screwdriver instead of a pencil to widen the holes, allowing for better grip
  • Food / freezer bag clip
  • Jug

Follow these steps to create your recycled bottle bird feeder with ease.

Step 1: Clean the bottle

A plastic milk bottle being cleaned in the sink
A plastic milk bottle being cleaned in the sink

Take off the label when you clean it, so it’s easier to see inside the bottle.

Step 2: Make a perch

A plastic milk bottle with a thin stick through the bottom
A plastic milk bottle with a thin stick through the bottom

Gather together the tools you will need for this task.

Start by using your drawing pin to make two holes in the bottle. These should be around 2cm from the bottom and on opposite sides. Use your pencil or screwdriver to make these holes a little wider if needed.

Step 3: Make a large window in the bottle

A large square hole in a milk bottle so birds can get to the feed
A large square hole in a milk bottle so birds can get to the feed

Use your drawing pin to pierce a hole at the front of the bottle around 5cm from the bottom. Use a pencil or screwdriver to make this hole big enough to fit your scissors into.

Cut a ‘window’ (square) out of the bottle. This needs to be large enough so birds can easily perch and get to the seeds.

Top tip

You could decorate your bottle with paint or marker pens at this stage – be as creative as you like!

Step 4: Tie string around the handle

String tied around a milk bottle handle to make a hanger
String tied around a milk bottle handle to make a hanger

Loop a long piece of string around the handle. The length of the string should be around 40-50cm. This could vary, depending how thick the branch is where you will hang the feeder. Tie the ends of the string together with a knot.

Make it easier

You can avoid fiddly knot tying. Loop the string through the bottle handle. Use a food / freezer bag clip to hold the ends together.

Step 5: Fill and hang

A recycled bottle bird feeder hanging in the garden
The finished recycled bottle bird feeder hanging in the garden

Fill the bottom of your bottle feeder with seeds or other bird feed. Find a sturdy branch of a tree or bush and you are ready to hang it up!

Make it easier

Use scissors to open the bird feed. Put the feed in a jug first to make it easier to pour into bird feeder. Once you have a good layer of feed, it is ready to hang!

Birds like to feel safe when feeding. Look for a branch that is quite high off the ground, but within comfortable arm reach. You could make several feeders and hang them in different places around the garden. This will help you discover where is popular with birds.

Now is a good time to make yourself a rewarding treat, sit back and wait for the birds to find their feast!

You can keep your feeder topped up with seeds or bird feed, so the birds keep coming back to it. If you are keeping it in the garden for a while, be sure to bring it in and wash with warm, soapy water occasionally. This will help avoid birds catching any germs.

Top tip

It can sometimes take time for birds to discover new sources of food. Be patient and don’t worry if birds do not instantly appear!

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