Vintage and Salvage Birding
Recently I upcycled and/or repurposed several "scrap" items - either antique or curbside rescue - to make the garden a little more bird-friendly. I started with an antique oil lamp whose chimney expired long ago and married it with a shade from a modern chandelier that was also deceased.
The two may be from completely different eras, but they look good together and I filled the shade with seed and made a very fetching feeder for the legion of little songbirds that visit our area (Boundary Bay, one of the birding capitals of North America, visited annually by 5 million birds that use the Pacific Flyway migratory route).
I tore the corner off a plastic shopping bag and used that to line the shade so the seed wouldn't fall through, then filled it with commercial songbird seed mix.
This glass and metal lantern was another roadside rescue - the glass edge has a big chip in it.
But I sanded it down so it wouldn't endanger delicate claws, flipped it over and hung it from a tree before filling it with seed. You can see I tied a bolt to one end to prevent the twine from slipping back through the screwhole on the edge of the glass.
This birdbath has a big chip on one edge, so it was a curbside find, too. We are in a level 3 drought, so chip or no chip, it got filled with water and put out at ground level where birds and other critters can get a drink or take a bit of a shower.
The chip is far from the water, so there are no concerns of pottery bleeding and contaminating the water.
Another little bird refreshment station out of vintage odds and ends: an antique glass pickle or condiment dish becomes a seed plate, and the vintage sugarbowl is filled with clean water and suspended from a repurposed banana hanger.
Both to attract the birds and give the little critters a bit of coverage, I surrounded their refreshment station with pots of flowers.
This vintage birdhouse was another roadside rescue (from directly across the street - no secrecy to this curbside expedition). It is very frail, but has a gorgeous primitive look that will extend it's life at least until the end of this season. And it if provides a mouse or squirrel or bird with a bit of shade from the seemingly relentless heat, I will be very pleased. One man's junk becomes my urban wildlife habitat.
Upside down antique laundry plunger makes a sweet birdfeeder.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 5 comments
-
They're really pretty. But what do you do to keep the seeds from getting wet?
-
I love bird feeders. Especially if they're different. If you have time, you HAVE to share your ideas on the other ones you have for wet weather. By the way, I'm seriously stealing these ideas lol
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?