It's For the Birds
by Bonnie Alter, London on 01.18.08
It's cold out there, so think of those little birds and how they must feel. We couldn't resist this DIY bird feeder, made out of a sardine can and an empty Pringles container. How simple is that. And be sure to keep it filled with food such as sunflower seeds and peanuts. However the real story is water--it is vital for birds' survival in cold weather. Birds need to drink water, even on the coldest days because if small birds lose just 10 per cent of their body weight they can become dehydrated and die.
They need to have a bath as well. Apparently this keeps their feathers in good shape. Birds depend on their feathers for warmth and insulation, as well as for flying, so it is important to have some fresh water for them. It's easy enough to do--hang the lid of a garbage can from a tree. They can bathe and drink in the rainwater, or melted snow. If you get a bird bath make sure that you break up the icy top so that they can reach the water underneath. :: Observer
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Great feeder idea! It's so simple and wonderful. A heated bath is a bird's dream here in the northern Midwest.
This makes it a little hard to actually clean the feeder, which is necessary to cut down on spreading avian diseases (a few years back I believe it was house finch conjunctivitis on the cover of the WSJ): http://birding.about.com/library/blcleanfeeders.htm
But cute!