Turn An Old Easter Basket Into A Bird Feeder They'll Love

To backyard enthusiasts with a penchant for feeding the birds, almost everything looks like a potential bird feeder. Whether it's attracting birds with a foraging tray you can DIY from a shoe box or turning an old Christmas tree into a smorgasbord of delights, there are plenty of household items you can repurpose into creative bird feeders. One example is recycled baskets, because whether they're leftover from Easter or something you pick up at the thrift store, you can easily turn them into charming feeders that the birds in your yard will love.

Baskets provide the perfect structure for a platform or window style of bird feeder, which attracts species like cardinals, jays, doves, and quail. By inserting dowels into the sides of the basket, you can also attract small birds like juncos and chickadees that can perch on them and reach through the weave to get to the birdseed.

For a platform style bird feeder, you don't have to do anything to the baskets except fill them with seed and put them out. However, adding a lid will help keep the bird seed dry. A lid is easy enough to make from a scrap piece of wood or heavy-duty cardboard. To add some style, there are plenty of directions you can go; try using woodland decor like twigs and pinecones, or take advantage of fairy-themed ideas that add a touch of whimsy to your yard.

For budget-friendly DIY feeders that will keep birds flocking to your yard year-round, feeders made from old Easter baskets can be hung from the trees in your yard or mounted on your porch railing. Placing these extra feeders out in the spring is a great way to attract migrating birds to your yard. It helps to put them near shrubs or tree branches so the birds have some cover. Since platform feeders can get messy, they may require more attention than your other feeders, so just be sure to check that the food is dry and refilled regularly. Any basket works, but natural ones will blend into your outdoor setting better than bright Easter colors, so you may want to repaint them using high-adhesion paints that don't contain harmful chemicals.

To add some whimsical charm and make your basket bird feeder more appealing to birds, dress it up with natural items like moss, pinecones, and twigs. Cut holes in the sides or pull out some of the weave to open it up. Crafty DIYers can decorate the lid with a woodland-themed arrangement. Or, you could turn it into a thatched straw roof and use Dollar Tree's Fairy Doors to make it look like a little house. In the spring, give the birds in your yard everything they need by adding nesting materials like straw, lamb's ears, and milkweed to the arrangement.