The Best Way To DIY A Hummingbird Feeder For Up Close Viewing

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Just because you live in a dense city or don't have a flower-filled backyard garden, doesn't mean you can't indulge in a little hummingbird watching. There are a number of simple ways to mount a bird feeder outside your window, but few beat the convenience of a suction cup, especially when paired with a single plastic cup. Best of all, you can make one yourself almost for free. Paint the lid of a tiny plastic ramekin red and yellow and pierce a few holes in it, then wrap some sturdy wire around the ramekin and secure it to a suction cup. Stick your new mini feeder onto your window, fill it with nectar, and watch the hummers flock to it from inside.

The most important part of this is what your feathered visitors will dine out of: the small lidded plastic portion cup. Save one of these wee ketchup containers from food delivery or takeout; clean, sterilize, and dry it extremely well before crafting with it to avoid contaminating the nectar. Alternatively, a Lounsweer 60-Pack of 1 Ounce Plastic Condiment Containers costs $6.99. That will make you a lot of hummingbird feeders! You can get a 6-pack of BEADNOVA 2.5-inch Suction Cup Hooks for $5.99 and $10.77 on a 175-foot roll of Hillman Steel 20 Gauge Galvanized Wire. You'll also need some red and yellow craft paint, though this raises an important question: Is it safe to paint a bird feeder? The short answer is yes, so long as you use a non-toxic paint.

Poke one to three holes in the lid of the portion cup using a knitting needle or awl warmed over a candle. Go in from the side of the lid that will face into the cup so the holes are smooth. Paint — outside only — yellow flowers or dots around the holes, and paint the rest of the lid red to visually attract the hummingbirds. Cut a length of wire and loop it around the cup, pushing the loop right in under the rim. Twist the ends together tightly, starting at the cup and working your way down the lengths of wire. Leave about an inch of wire untwisted and wrap that around the knob of the suction cup.

Check that your feeder sits straight in its wire frame, then you can hang the hummingbird feeder on your window. Choose a spot that's, ideally, in an area with other hummingbird attractants like flowering shrubs you can easily see through without disturbing the birds. The spot should also make it easy to access the feeder for filling and cleaning. If the suction cup isn't sticking, clean the window and suction cups with a wet rag, let them dry, and try again. Can't find a portion cup? Switch it out for a prescription bottle, Tabasco sauce bottle, or plastic tubing. Make a more aesthetically pleasing (for us humans) feeder by switching out the utilitarian wire for pretty copper wire. You could also avoid getting your window grimy with suction cup rings using two strong magnets — fit the wire and feeder cup to one, and the other goes inside your window.