How to Make a Window Hummingbird Feeder

If you want to attract hummingbirds to your backyard or window sill, you can easily create your own nectar feeder with just a few household objects. Whether you are a nature enthusiast with a penchant for recycling or a parent looking to create some good "green" fun with your kids, building a hummingbird feeder is a worthy project that is fun, fast and inexpensive.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Plastic bottle with cap
• 2nd jar lid that is slightly larger than the first cap
• Drill
• Hot glue gun & glue
• Napkin
• Scissors
• Nontoxic paint
• Plastic crafting paper

The Feeder

1. Remove the top from the plastic bottle and drill several small holes in its center.

2. Punch through the small holes to create one single, large hole in the center of the top.

3. Push a napkin through the hole in the bottle cap so that a small amount of it is on top and the remainder is protruding through the bottom.

4. Insert the drilled and napkin-stuffed bottle cap into a slightly larger plastic jar or bottle cap with the side that has the napkin protruding sticking upright. This is to keep the smaller lid slightly separated from the larger one while it is being glued.

5. Center the smaller bottle top inside the larger one, making sure that the lip of the inner one is just slightly below the lip of the outer one.

6. Use the hot glue gun to fill in four areas between the inner and outer bottle caps. This will create "bridges" between the two bottle caps once the glue is dry and the paper is removed. Build up the glue slowly to prevent sticky glue spills inside the outer lid. When the glue is dry, remove the napkin.

7. Drill a small hole into the bottom of the bottle, insert a hook, and use a glue gun to seal the area around the hole so that no air leaks inside the bottle.

8. Tie a clear or light-colored string through the hook to be secured to a tree limb or the top of your window sill.

9. Screw the inner lid into the bottle, and invert the bottle to create your basic feeder.

Decorate

10. Use nontoxic paint to decorate the outside of your hummingbird feeder with colorful flowers, rainbows or other springtime scenes. Hummingbirds are attracted to bright reds and yellows, so be sure to include these colors in your design.

11. Use plastic crafting paper to cut out petals or shapes to hot-glue to the outside of the tray on your feeder.

12. Fill your hummingbird feeder with homemade or store-bought nectar solution and hang it outside near a window.

Tips & Warnings

• If you find that your brightly painted flower decorations are attracting bees and and other insects, paint the feeder solid red--a color that is compelling to hummingbirds, but neutral to bees.
• Always use nontoxic paint when decorating your hummingbird feeder. Do not clean your feeder with soap or toxic chemicals. Instead, use a bottle brush and vinegar solution on the feeder once a week, and rinse it every 2 days with warm water.

References

• Making a Hummingbird Feeder
• How to Make a Hummingbird Stew, er, Feeder