How To Make A Cute Cake Pan Window Bird Feeder

6 Materials
$5
20 Minutes
Easy

Our DIY window bird feeder is made from an old cake pan and allows us to watch our lovely wild birds eat their breakfast while we eat ours. It is a fantastic way to see birds close up while still keeping them safe from predators.

Feeding wild birds is one of the simple pleasures in life. Not only do the birds benefit hugely from the extra nutritional support, but they are also lovely creatures to watch. Spending a few minutes each day watching them flit to and from a window feeder is a great way to relax as well as learn a little more of our delightful wildlife.

We have made homemade bird feeders in the past. Our willow ball bird feeders are designed to be hung up in the trees away from predators. The birds love them, but they are not readily visible from the house. This DIY window bird feeder brings the birds in close and gives us a fantastic view of them as they feed.

What we used to make our window bird feeder

  • An old cake pan (ours has a diameter of 6 inches)

  • An old wire tea strainer

  • Rustic grapevine floristry wire

  • 2 suction cups

I also used a metal hack saw and wire snips.


How we made our homemade bird feeder

I started by cutting the handle off the old tea strainer with a hack saw leaving about an inch stump. This little sieve will hold the bird seed for our window bird feeder. It’s perfect as it won't retain moisture and cause the grain to spoil.

I then cut a length of wire about 4 times the diameter of the cake pan which is what will hold our little cup of bird seed in place. The rustic grapevine wire that I used is made from steel wire encased in twine. Not only does it look beautiful, I think it’ll be ideal for little birds to hold on to without causing any damage to their little feet.

I used the stump and the loop on the strainer as anchoring points for the wire which I wound around the sieve until it was held securely in the middle of the length of wire.

The cake pan that I used is hinged which made it really easy to attach the wire without it slipping down. I merely wound it around the sides above the hinges. And looped the cord through the little pin.

Once the strainer was held in the position I wanted, I threaded the two suction cups on to my tails of wire giving it a twist to secure them.

I used the excess wire to make little perches making sure that any sharp ends were turned in on themselves so not to cause injury to the birds.

How to mount a window bird feeder

Suction cups stick really well to the glass window as long as it is spotlessly clean. To attach the cups successfully wipe the glass first with a little vinegar to ensure there is no grease on it. Then it’s just a matter of pushing them on to the glass. This is the method we used, and our homemade window bird feeder has stayed in place beautifully.

It took our birds about a week to find our cake pan window bird feeder, but now they have they are back and forwards to it all day. You can find some additional tips on how to encourage birds to a window bird feeder in our original post.


And If you love watching birds in your garden why not make your very own Swallow Cam and see if you can catch your birds on film.

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  2 questions
  • Jacquelyne May Jacquelyne May on Apr 04, 2019

    Love it! My friend has a little acrylic (see through) bird house that is suctioncupped to her window.

    So many different birds come to feed there , I had to get one!! But hers is over her garden (the dropped seed actually grows) and I only have concrete close around my house. Guess when I decide which window I will just have a clean-up to do.

    Maybe someone could post instructions on how to make an acrylic one? Use either precut pieces and glue, or instructions on how to cut a bigger sheet?

  • Debbie Debbie on Jun 02, 2019

    birds are serious messy eaters, they waste more then they eat. how do you keep the seeds that fall down from sprouting or attracting rodents.

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  • Ella Frierson Bond Ella Frierson Bond on Jun 01, 2019

    If squirrels are getting into your bird seed sprinkle a little cayenne pepper in. Birds don't mind it!

  • Nancy Nardone Nancy Nardone on Jun 01, 2019

    everytime I try to put something for the birds this close to the house they hit the house Can't do this

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    • Sharon Breese Sharon Breese on May 09, 2023

      Yes! We've saved several birds over the years that knocked themselves senseless on our windows. We usually put them somewhere safe, so predators don't get them, until they're able to fly again. We put one (in Winter) in a cat carrier in the kids playroom, so it wouldn't freeze on the ground. It escaped and had a 4 day spa vacation before I caught it with their butterfly net and released it outside. Lol

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