How to make a pumpkin bird feeder

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Tuesday, 2 November 2021 at 9:10 am

If you're making pumpkin soup, don't waste the skin - turn it into this pumpkin bird feeder instead.

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Latest RSPB Guidance on bird feeding.

Due to the spread of avian diseases, the RSPB no longer advises the use of flat bird feeders. Find out more here. August 2026

RSPB bird feeding advice. Chris Gomersall/RSPB Images

If you're making a pumpkin pie or soup in autumn, don't waste the tough outer skin – put it to good use and turn it into a bird feeder.

Learn how to grow pumpkins.

This simple design will attract a variety of garden birds, which can nibble at the exposed pumpkin flesh as they dine on the seeds.

You Will Need

Pumpkin
Sharp knife
Wire
Bird seed
Tablespoon

Step 1

Scooping out the pumpkin flesh

Cut the pumpkin in half and use a tablespoon to scoop out as much flesh as possible, creating a deep pit in one half. Use the flesh in soups or stews.

Step 2

Looping wire through the pumpkin

Pierce a hole in the pumpkin half, at the opposite end from the pit. Gently loop the wire through and use this to hang your pumpkins from a tree branch.

Step 3

Pouring bird seed into the halved pumpkin

Holding the pumpkin half in one hand, gently tip a quantity of mixed bird seed into the pit. Gently release the pumpkin so it hangs freely but doesn't swing.

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