The tube feeders you can buy at the stores are made of plastic and will not last very long. Soon the plastic will break with the cold and you will have to get new ones. Building one with wood is a great idea. To do so build a long rectangle box and drill one inch holes all around it. Adding perched under the holes will attract a large variety of small birds that cannot cling as easily as woodpeckers and finches can.

This is the most often sen bird feeder and it is easy to build one in any version you like. A large platform at the bottom can keep the seeds from falling on the ground and get wasted. The design consist in a little house with walls and a liftable roof for easy refilling. Making small openings allow the seeds to spill slowly onto the bottom tray.

Drill the proper entrance hole, for the bird you are trying to attract. Again, the importance of size. You will need to research the birds in your area and which ones you would like to invite to your backyard.

Regardless of whether you love birds or not, you have to admit, their presence can add life to a landscape in a way no amount of plants or structure ever could. So if you are a serial do-it-yourselfer, there’s no better way to have a bird feeder than to have it with a personal touch.

Additionally, you should not leave any food in the feeder as this will only attract more insects.

Lastly, it is imperative that you don’t use paints or any kind of finishing in the interior portion of the feeder. Make sure you use only untreated wood as well. Paints or any of its derivatives may contain some chemicals that can potentially harm the birds.

Squirrel-proof bird feeders come in a variety of shapes, sizes and styles. They range from the weight activated hopper feeders like the Homestead Super Stop-A-Squirrel to the simple baffle-topped feeders. For the serious backyard birder there is the Droll Yankees’ Yankee Flipper that uses a battery operated device, activated by the squirrel’s weight, to (harmlessly) propel the squirrel off of the feeder.

You need to have the perfect location where you are going to mount the feeder. Otherwise, your effort will come to nothing if you don’t place the feeder in an appropriate location.