How Old Scrap Wood Turns A Lifeless Yard Into A Bird Paradise

If you've got some scrap wood left over from another project taking up room in your garage, why not transform it into a beautiful bird magnet for your yard? It doesn't take much for you to take your yard from lifeless to a bird paradise. All you need is some way to feed them, and scrap wood is the perfect, budget-friendly material to make one of the easiest kinds of bird feeders there is: a platform feeder.

Also known as a tray feeder, these are simple, effective bird feeders that are constructed as a square or rectangular frame with elevated sides to keep the seeds in place and allow the birds space to roost. The tray's open design means that birds don't have to fiddle with the small port holes or limited spaces common with other types of bird feeder shapes, like tube or hopper. This is what makes the platform feeder an indiscriminate choice that will attract a wider variety of birds. 

Since the platform feeder will live outside, weather-resistant species like white oak, redwood, cypress, cedar, or pressure treated pine are the best wood choices for this outdoor project. If you don't have any of these, consider using a paint or stain to keep the structure from rotting prematurely. 

While you could use the scrap wood you have to build any number of custom bird feeders for your yard, the platform feeder requires little in the way of materials or time to construct. Honestly, you could knock one of these out in a few hours if you felt so inclined. 

For the base of the feeder, you'll want to use a material that easily allows drainage, such as metal mesh. Unless you plan on building a cover for your platform, rain and water can collect in a base that does not have drainage, causing the seeds to sprout or mold. However, you should be in the habit of changing out your birdseed every day or two in order to avoid mold and other issues.

Once you've got your measured base, you will need to connect your four wooden sides to create the frame. You can do this by drilling pocket holes in the corners and using screws to attach them together. Then you can attach the mesh to the bottom using a staple gun. If you're planning on hanging your platform on chains, screw some hook eyes into the four corners and run the chains to a central hanger. Otherwise you can just run another plank of wood across the bottom of the tray and nail it into a wood post. After that, watch as your yard becomes a bird paradise.