Birds benefit from supplementary food in gardens, especially during winter and early spring, when food is in short supply. Make a simple feeder using terracotta pots packed with fat balls, to attract a variety of birds such as the great tit, pictured.

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You Will Need

  • Terracotta pots (11cm in diameter)
  • Wire (approximately 50cm long)
  • Wire cutters
  • Twigs
  • Secateurs
  • Fat balls (roughly three per small pot)

Total time: 30 minutes


Step 1

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Use secateurs to cut a piece of twig that will fit across the base of the pot. Wrap a length of wire around the twig, leaving enough to hang the pot with later.


Step 2

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Clean the pots with a weak disinfectant solution and rinse thoroughly. Feed the wire through the drainage hole in the base of the pot, ensuring that the twig fits snugly inside.


Step 3

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Turn the pot over and pack the inside tightly with fat balls. Fold the wire and loop it onto a longer piece, hanging from a branch.

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Step 4

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Hang the feeder singly or group it with others.

Kate Bradbury says

Fat balls are a particularly good source of calories in winter, when birds use huge amounts of energy just to stay warm at night. In summer feed birds protein-rich foods such as mealworms and sunflower seeds. These aid feather development and growth, which helps them get into shape after the grueling breeding season.
Kate Bradbury
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