Innocent Bottle Bird Feeder

In this ‘How To’ guide I’ll show you how to convert an Innocent Juice bottle into a fantastic bird feeder!

And of course, I’ve added a ‘Wildlife Gadgetman’ twist with three different versions.

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Time Needed: 1 Hour

Why Do It?: Providing food for garden birds is a great way to help wildlife in your garden. Many small birds love feeding from bird feeders but sometimes feeders are swamped by larger birds, especially pigeons. This feeder will help stop larger birds from dominating and allow smaller birds to feed in peace.

What You Need: Innocent Drinks Bottle (1.35lt), 5″ diameter Plant Pot Drip Tray, 12″ diameter Mixing Bowl, 12″ diameter Hanging Basket, Garden Wire

Tools Required: Wire Cutters, Scissors, Hand Drill, pliers, a 38mm diameter Drill bit and a 16mm diameter Drill bit.

STEP 1 – Collect Your Materials

Start by collecting all your materials. I used a 1.35lt Innocent Drinks bottle (I drank the orange juice first of course!), a 5″ diameter flower pot drip tray (69p from B&Q), a 12″ diameter mixing bowl (£1 from The Range), a 12″ diameter hanging basket (£1.99 from The Range) and some garden wire.

STEP 2 – Create And Attach The Seed Tray

1. Drill A 38mm Diameter Hole

Drill a hole 38mm in diameter in the centre of the flower pot drip tray. Don’t press too hard or you will crack the plastic.

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2. Place the drip tray over the Innocent Drinks bottle.

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3. Check That The drip tray fits snugly over the neck of the bottle.

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4. Try securing the drip tray in position.

You’ll notice that the lid will not fasten on to the bottle thread as the drip tray gets in the way.

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5. Notice that the bottle cap has a very short thread.

The short thread prevents the bottle cap from securing in place.

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6. Trim down the edge of the bottle cap.

Trim the edge of the bottle cap down to half the size, just above the inner thread.

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7. The Trimmed Cap.

Try and keep the cut as even as possible. Sand the cut edge to give a smoother finish.

8. Fitting the seed tray in place.

Place the seed tray back over the bottle and check to make sure the cap secures the tray in place.

STEP 2 – Drill Four Holes For Seed Ports.

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1. Drill four holes (seed ports).

Use a 16mm diameter drill bit to drill four holes. Don’t push too hard or you will split the plastic.

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2. File the edges of the seed ports.

Use a small file to neaten the edges of each of the seed ports.

STEP 3 – Add A Hanging Wire

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1. Drill four holes.

Drill four holes in opposite corners of the base of the bottle.

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2. Fit the hanging wire.

Push a length of garden wire through opposite holes and then twist them together.

STEP 4 – Filling The Feeder

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1. Use a funnel to help fill the feeder.

I use the top of a fizzy drinks bottle as a funnel to help me fill my feeders.

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2. Fill the feeder with seed.

Fill your new feeder to the top with your chosen bird seed. I’ve used sunflower hearts.

STEP 5 – Hanging The Feeder

Find a quiet spot in the garden and hang your feeder. Hopefully it won’t be long before the birds discover it! The feeder is very easy to refill. Simply unscrew the bottle cap on the base and top up with seed!

Additional Options

1. Add A Rain Guard

One of the issues with using bird feeders in bad weather is that they can sometimes get waterlogged in periods of heavy rain. Follow these steps to add a rain guard. The guard also helps to prevent larger birds such as pigeons taking over the feeder!

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