Last year, we dug up our small yard and made some big changes. We hired someone to install a big patio. We built a raised veggie bed next to our handmade sandbox. And we added gardens. Lots of gardens.
By the end of the summer, we were left with one small patch of grass and gave our lawnmower to our landscaper. We purchased a reel mower and put a snow blower where our lawn mower used to be in the garage.
This spring is the first time I’ve really been able to work in my new gardens. Being so early in the season, I’ve only just begun. In Maine, you really can’t plant anything until after Memorial Day due to frost. (I believe there was actually a frost warning the other day, but we won’t talk about that.)
While I was waiting to play in the dirt, I decided we’d have some fun and attempt to attract birds to our yard this year. My new gardens are away from my bird hating dogs’ reach, so we moved a bird house we’ve had for years over in the middle of the new garden. I swear I’ve never seen a bird in this bird house. I’m guessing it was because we had it too close to a busy sidewalk.
Well, the new location seemed to be ideal for the birds. Lots came by to perch and eat bird seed. (Can you tell I’m not really a bird person? I have no idea what kind of birds visit us.)
And then I got the idea to make our own bird feeder.
I turned to Pinterest for inspiration. Though I’m not a fan of Pinterest, I figured I would find something that would get the creative juices flowing.
Here’s what became my inspiration.
This bird feeder was a bit too cutesy for me, but I like the idea of using materials I had in the house to make something. I had just recycled some dog food cans, and I had plenty of acrylic paint. I also had nails that I would use for the perch instead of the wooden dowel shown in the inspiration picture. (I like industrial over cute any day.)
We painted our recycled tin cans and hot glued nails as perches for the birds.
I wasn’t convinced that the can would actually balance itself properly with a ribbon. Plus the ribbon was too cutesy for me. My husband came up with the idea of screwing the painted cans to a wooden post in the garden.
It was not easy to get the bird seed into the cans! (And, yes, we need to mulch.)
While it doesn’t look too bad in the garden, there we were a few problems.
The nails didn’t stay on the cans (and I can’t imagine the wooden dowel would’ve been much better).
The paint clumped up in the rain. Since I’ve use the same paint for other outdoor projects, I’m going to assume the paint just didn’t stick to the aluminum material well.
The bird seed was nearly impossible to get into the can without spilling all over the ground. That seed is also sprouting now, which has me weeding every single day.
I have yet to see a bird eat from inside the can. (They go for the seed on the ground that isn’t growing yet.)
Oh, and I cut myself on the top of the can while telling my kids how sharp the lid was.
What do you think? Was this a Pinterest fail? Or maybe just new garden art?
You can see our new bird feeder / garden art on the right.
