How to make friends with birds

Press, 24 December 1985, Page 10

How to make friends with birds

Why not encourage birds to visit your garden. Their sounds in the early mornings make waking up more pleasant, and if they become regular visitors you can study them and observe their habits. You can put cut bread out and even bird seed from the pet shop, and another thing you could do is make your small friends a constant water supply.

A drinking machine is easily made — all you need is a plastic soft-drink bottle, an old saucer, some straw, wire, and two pieces of wood. Method 1. Fix the two pieces of wood together to make an L shape. You might be able to use glue, but nails or screws might be needed. (For this you will need your parents’ help).

2. Pierce two holes just below the neck of the bottle. 3. Fill the bottle with water and screw on the top. 4. Turn it upside down and stand it on the saucer. The water will slowly trickle out of the holes you have made into the saucer. 5. Decorate the bottle with straw or bark, 6. Attach it to the Lshaped stand with wire.

7. Use more wire to attach the drinking machine to a tree.

8. When the birds drink from the saucer it will refill from the bottle. (The saucer should not overflow because air pressure exerts a downward force on the water in the saucer and holds up the column of water in the bottle).

9. Refill the bottle when it empties.