How to Make a Coconut Bird Feeder: A Guide

During the winter season, when nature rests under a blanket of snow, many people feed birds, the feathered inhabitants of the skies. By providing food to the birds that winter in Ukraine, we engage in a special ritual, as we impart our love and hope to them. In this ritual, we receive more than meets the eye. Observing their wings and enjoying their colors and voices, we enter a "theater" where each character is a separate branch on the tree of life. Through watching birds near bird feeders, we find joy, inner peace, and realize how interconnected we are.

Today, we will discuss an interesting method for creating a windmill-shaped bird feeder. Its author is our expert in eco-education and reforestation, Taras Kharachko.

So, what is the windmill-shaped design and what makes this feeder interesting? We asked Taras about it.

"While creating various bird feeders, I noticed that snow often covers the food in many of them. As a result, birds are unable to eat even if there is an ample amount of food in the feeders. This is common for most feeders with a tray at the bottom. On the contrary, this problem is absent in hanging feeders like cones, balls, and nets. However, using cones and balls complicates the manufacturing process, and feeders made of nets do not allow for the addition of small seeds like millet. 

During eco-education events at schools, when I explained the importance of bird feeding, I realized that not everyone has the necessary materials and tools to make feeders at home. I am not particularly fond of plastic bottle feeders that sway on branches since they also get covered in snow and cause the food to spill with a gust of wind. Without drainage holes at the bottom, grain becomes moist and starts to mold during thaw or rain. After reviewing various feeder designs, I couldn't find one that could be easily made at home, accommodate small seeds, and prevent snow accumulation".

"And what did you come up with?" we asked Taras with curiosity.

"I recalled a coconut shell that I had once split in half. It was intended for some decorative use and had been waiting for its moment. After careful consideration, I created a prototype for a windmill bird feeder that, when spinning in the wind, covers the opening from snowfall. This is where birds can feed and where you can pour in food."

Can anyone handle the manufacturing process?

"Yes, I have documented the step-by-step process in photos and created a video instruction. Understanding that not everyone has the necessary tools at home, I worked only with various kitchen knives. However, cutting a coconut with a knife or making holes in it is time-consuming and unsafe. For cutting, it is better to use a handsaw with fine teeth (for metal) or an angle grinder. It is preferable to drill holes for the wire with a drill. The aluminum can windmill can be cut with office scissors or kitchen shears. Flat-nose pliers are needed to bend the aluminum foil windmill, while a stapler can be used to fasten it onto the skewers".

For three years now, the coconut windmill feeders in Taras's yard have been delighting tits and other birds that are not afraid of suspended feeders. Snow can partially reach them only in calm weather, but the seeds are always accessible for the birds. Moreover, they are easy to remove, refill with a seed mixture, and hang on branches or other structures.

For the feeder, you will need the following materials:

- 1 coconut (the fruit of the coconut palm, often called a nut)

- 2 skewers for shish kebabs (30 cm long)

- An empty aluminum can from any beverage

- Metal wire (50-60 cm)

- Thin rope and two washers (with an outer diameter larger than 10 mm). The washers can be self-made from the bottom of an aluminum can.

Video instructions on how to make the feeder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2yiW_ydAms