How to make a hanging bird feeder

You Will Need

• Terracotta pots (11cm in diameter)
• Wire (approximately 50cm long)
• Wire cutters
• Twigs
• Secateurs
• Fat balls (roughly three per small pot)

Total time: 30 minutes

Step 1

Use secateurs to cut a piece of twig that will fit across the base of the pot. Wrap a length of wire around the twig, leaving enough to hang the pot with later.

Step 2

Clean the pots with a weak disinfectant solution and rinse thoroughly. Feed the wire through the drainage hole in the base of the pot, ensuring that the twig fits snugly inside.

Step 3

Turn the pot over and pack the inside tightly with fat balls. Fold the wire and loop it onto a longer piece, hanging from a branch.

Step 4

Hang the feeder singly or group it with others.

Kate Bradbury says

Fat balls are a particularly good source of calories in winter, when birds use huge amounts of energy just to stay warm at night. In summer feed birds protein-rich foods such as mealworms and sunflower seeds. These aid feather development and growth, which helps them get into shape after the grueling breeding season.