An Easy Gourd Birdfeeder

List of materials needed for project:

Proxxon JigSaw
Proxxon Drill or Rotary Tool
Acrylic Paint
Sealer
Dowel Rod
Outdoor Mod Podge
Gourd (of course)
Leather strip to make hanger out of

This is what my gourd looked like after I cleaned the outside and drew the window cut-outs onto it.

The first thing I did was cut-out windows in the gourd to have a place for the birds to eat out of.

This is what the window opening looked like. As soon as all the windows were cut out I had to clean the insides out and then I coated the inside of the gourd with the Outdoor Mod Podge. Make sure you have a decent time allowed to let the inside dry as the instructions call for the Mod Podge to cure for 72 hours before putting the item you've used it on outside.

I then drilled evenly spaced holes in the bottom of the gourd to allow for drainage in the event the feeder got rained into. Once the drilling of drainage holes was finished I then painted the gourd with the Acrylic paint that I had picked out. I used an Acrylic paint for outdoors and then also spray sealed it.

I then drilled holes in the top of the gourd to put a dowel into that I tied my leather strip onto and also drilled a hole under each window cut-out to put a dowel into for the birds to sit on while they eat. Small birds can actually perch on the window itself to snack on some seed.

Don't you like my fuschia color? I plan on taking the feeder with me and hanging it in the backyard of the house I'm going to be moving to very soon. I hope you like this project and that you will use some Proxxon Tools to make one for yourself. All you need to do is bring the feeder in at the change of seasons and clean it and give it another coat of sealer and Outdoor Mod Podge to keep it ready to use for several years.

Barbara