Bird feeder project from recycled materials

Abstract

In this fun science project, you will create a bird feeder from recycled materials that you can set up outside. By observing the birds that come to the bird feeder, you will find out what different kinds of birds live in your area. How many different kinds of birds do you think you will spot?

Objective

To build a bird feeder and find out what types of birds live in your area.

Materials and Equipment

Plastic milk/juice container with cap

Scissors or craft knife

Wooden dowel, twig, or wooden coffee stirrer

Bird food such as seeds or a birdseed mix

Mini cup(s)

Water

Masking tape

Optional: paper plate

Possible decorations: tree bark, shells, stones, stickers, etc. 

Note: Make sure that any materials you use to decorate the bird feeders are safe for the birds. Stick to as many natural materials as possible.

Optional: paintbrushes and fast-drying paint, when using paint

Glue, or glue gun

Twine or thin rope

Pen or pencil

Bird field guide (book or online) that includes the birds of your region

Access to a printer in case you want to print out some bird pictures

Optional: binoculars for bird watching

Graph paper

Lab notebook

Experimental Procedure

In this project, you will first build a bird feeder from recycled materials, and then you will watch the birds that visit your bird feeder.

Building Your Bird Feeder

Clean out the milk or juice container with warm water and soap and, if possible, remove the label. Let the container dry out completely.

Ask an adult to help you cut an opening into at least one side of the container, as shown in Figure 2. The opening should be at least one inch above the bottom of the container and at least three inches in diameter. If you like, you can cut openings in more than one side of the container. You can also decide what shape the opening should have.

Figure 2. The opening on the side of the container should be at least three inches in diameter.

Use some tape to cover the sharp edges of the container walls, so the birds don't get harmed when coming into your bird feeder.

Decide where you want to insert a twig or wooden dowel (called a stick) into your bird feeder, so the bird has a place to sit. A good spot to place a stick is just under the doorway, creating a perch for the bird. You can also place a long stick inside the bird feeder that reaches from one side to the other.

Have an adult helper poke holes into the container walls where you want the stick to be inserted.

Then carefully push the stick into the holes.

Use glue, or a glue gun to secure the stick in place.

Birds look for water. Use the mini cup(s) to provide water for the birds. Glue one or more mini cups onto the floor of your bird feeder or onto the walls.

Birds look for food. Prepare a place for your bird food. You can either put a paper plate into your bird feeder or put the food directly on the floor of the container.

With the help of an adult, poke two holes on opposite sides next to the opening/cap of the container. Then thread the twine or thin rope through the holes as shown in Figure 3 and tie it together in a knot to create a handle. The handle makes it easier to hang the bird feeder into a tree over a branch if you choose to do so later.

Figure 3. Yarn is threaded through holes in the top of the container to create a handle.

Once you are done, decorate or color your bird feeder. You can use any materials you like as long as you keep it safe for birds. Safe choices are natural materials such as pebbles, shells, tree bark, etc. Think about what decoration would be best to attract the most birds. If you use paint on your bird feeder, let the paint dry before you use it, as the fumes created by drying paint or glue can be dangerous for birds and will scare them away.

Watching Birds

Do some research on the types of birds living in your area and what they eat.

Use an online field guide for birds such as this one that includes birds from the US and Canada. Look at the different birds that could live in your neighborhood. You can also go to your local library and get a bird field guide from there.

Ask help from a local bird expert if you know someone.

Print or copy a picture of the birds you expect to visit your bird feeder from your field guide and glue the pictures into your lab notebook. If this option is not available, write the names of the birds in your notebook.

Place your bird feeder outside. Think about which location would be best for bird watching. You can, for example, hang your bird feeder in a tree using the twine handle you made.

Fill the mini cup(s) with water and place the bird food into the bird feeder.

Choose a period of 15 minutes every morning and evening to observe the birds that come to your feeder. Do this at the same time each day, for at least one week. Note that it might take a couple of days for the birds to get used to your bird feeder. If you don't see any birds at your feeder within a week, try a different location or extend your observation time. Here are some helpful tips for bird watching:

Be quiet.

Avoid sudden movements.

Be patient!

Try to not look into the sun. If possible, have the sun behind you to better see the birds.

Avoid brightly colored clothes.

In your lab notebook, make a table similar to Table 1. Then follow these steps for every observation session:

Write down the number of birds of each breed that you observe into your data table. Make a tally for each bird. Every bird coming to the feeder counts, even if the same bird visits more than once. Add a new column to the table for each observation session.

Try to find a picture of each bird you see in the field guide while observing them. If you have binoculars, use them to better see the individual features of the birds.

If you found it in your book, write the bird's name into your data table. If you already saw a bird of this type during this session, add a tally into the column.

If you cannot find the bird in your field guide, try to write a detailed description of the bird in the table or take a picture of the bird if you have a camera. The description and pictures will help you Figure out which type of bird it is later and might be helpful for your project display board.

If you have a printer, print a picture of the bird (from the field guide, the internet, or your camera) and glue it in your data table.

   Table 1. Data table to write down which birds you see visiting your bird feeder. The first two entries show examples of how to fill in the table.

Between observation sessions, make sure to add more bird food and water when necessary. Keep an eye out for squirrels and take measures to keep them from stealing the bird food, if necessary.

When you have finished your last bird observation session, compare the birds that you have seen coming to your bird feeder with the pictures or list of the birds that you were expecting to come.

Circle the birds that you expected to see and that you did observe coming to your bird feeder.

How many birds that you expected did you actually see?

Which birds did you expect but not see? Can you think of a reason why? If not, do some more research on these specific birds. For example, do they only come out at night, or do they prefer different foods, etc.?

Look back at your observation tables. Did you see birds you did not expect? Can you think of a reason why?

Tally the number of birds of each breed that you saw during your whole observation period. Put your results in a new data table such as Table 2.

    Table 2. Data table to write down the total number of each type of bird that you saw coming to your bird feeder during your whole observation period.

Graph your data from Table 2.

Write the types of birds that you observed on a piece of graph paper as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4. Types of birds observed written on graph paper.

Color one square next to the birds' names for each bird you have seen of that type. For example, if you have seen 5 sparrows, color 5 squares next to the name "sparrow". Do this for each of the types of birds you have listed in Table 2. The result is a graph showing how many birds of each type you saw, as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5. Colored squares next to birds' names represent the number of birds seen.

Optional: Looking at your bird watching data, try to find out the answers to the following questions. The data you entered in your observation tables, as well as Table 2, might help you with the answers.

Which types of birds did you see coming to your bird feeder the most?

What was the total number of birds that you observed each day?

At what time of day did you see the most birds coming to your bird feeder, in the morning or evening?

There are probably some more questions that you can think of. Look at your data and graph to see if you can answer them with the data that you collected.

Are there questions you cannot yet answer with the data you have so far? What other data would you like to collect with your bird feeder?