Simple Orange Bird Feeder to Make

Last Updated on March 8, 2023 by Ellen Christian

You’ll love this simple bird feeder to make! It’s so easy to make. Learn how to make an orange bird feeder to feed the birds during the winter months.

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Simple bird feeder to make & bird feeding guide

Simple Bird Feeder to Make

Marty and I love to watch the birds.  In the summer, we have lots of brightly colored songbirds at our feeders.  The yellow goldfinch and indigo bunting are a few of our favorites.

 We also have Baltimore Orioles and cardinals who visit our yard as well.  In the winter, all the brightly colored songbirds fly south to warmer places.

I don’t blame them.  Winters in Vermont are not nearly as nice as warm summer days.  We don’t stop feeding the birds in the winter.  Seeds are harder for the birds to find underneath a foot of snow. 

three oranges on a glass plate

Orange bird feeder

While we have several traditional bird feeders, sometimes I like to set out something extra for the birds. You may remember that I posted how to make your own suet for the birds and how to attract birds to your yard.  

I decided to share this simple bird feeder to make.  You can use this instead of a traditional bird feeder or as an extra.  They are easy to hang on a tree branch and you do not need to worry about a squirrel dragging them off or damaging them.

Tools / Equipment to get started

You can use any type of citrus including grapefruit, oranges or lemons for this bird feeder.  I used a Meyer lemon since that is what I had on hand.  The larger types of citrus will hold more bird feed than the smaller types.

Simple bird feeder to make & bird feeding guide

How to make a simple bird feeder

Slice the Meyer lemon in half and using a citrus reamer (like this one from Good Cook), ream out the juice from the center so the center is mostly empty.

Don’t worry about removing the flesh of the Meyer lemon. The birds will enjoy it. Save the lemon juice for a future recipe.

Simple bird feeder to make & bird feeding guide

Using a sharp knife or a knitting needle, make a hole in each side of the Meyer lemon half.  Since Meyer lemons are smaller than traditional lemons, I cut the top quarter off and used the bottom.  

Using twine, run a piece through each hole and tie. You will use this to hang the bird feeder from a tree limb. If you don’t have twine, you could use yarn.

Simple bird feeder to make & bird feeding guide

Fill the center of the Meyer lemon with bird food, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc. Carefully hang from a tree limb or bird feeder hanger and enjoy watching the birds when they visit.

Did you know that certain birds enjoy certain types of bird food and use certain types of feeders more than others? I hope this guide helps you while you’re feeding the birds.

Bird Feeding Basics

 

99 thoughts on “Simple Orange Bird Feeder to Make”

  1. Pingback: Snowy Day Activities for All Ages | Gramma Good
  2. My yard is supery snowy still, and the birds cannot get to my feeders, so I made one of these (thanks to you).  The birds were SO happy.  Thanks for the idea 🙂 

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  4. What a great idea! We don’t get many birds in our yard, but I bet we would with this, and it is so colorful and natural!

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  5. What a fun craft idea for kids. I am going to make this with my 10 year old. I love seeing the birds in the cooler months and I am sure they love having extra food around. 🙂

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  6. Pingback: DIY bird feeder round-up!
  7. I think this was a great idea. i like the idea of using the lemon juice for my family and then using the lemon itself as a bird feeder! Great idea.

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  8. I should make one of those for my Nanday Conure. She LOVES sunflower seeds and hanging one of those in her cage would be a nice treat for her.

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  9. What a simple yet ingenious idea. I love recycling your orange peels for the good of the birds. We are going to do this today. Thanks for the feeding guide too.  

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  10. what a great idea Ellen, I have never seen this before. I so want to do this but there is is pesty squirrel who would destroy it, maybe my kids and I will make one in our front yard. Pinning this! Thanks for sharing your creativity! 

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  11. Very cute feeder and you make it look easy to make!  Wonderful idea and the timing couldn’t be better. We’re snowed in and the poor birds could really use some food. 

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  12. WHat a cute and fun idea! We love bringing the birds to our yard, my toddlers love to watch them out the window! We will have to try this one!

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  13. SUCH a great idea! My dad wanted a bird feeder for Christmas – I should have made this! I think I’ll do this with my son then we will watch the birds! 

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  14. What a great idea and nothing goes to waste! I love it. I will have to show my Grandma because all the neighborhood animals literally WAIT for her to feed them!

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  15. Well, how cute is that? This post made me nostalgic for spring. My two little boys would love making a bird feeder. I’ve pinned for later use…when it’s not snowing outside.

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  16. I think my kids would love helping to make these and hang a few around the yard for the birds.  Such an easy and quick nature craft!  Could you use oranges instead of meyer lemons?

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  17. We only use Safflower seeds at our house, because the squirrels don’t like them! If I ever get a squirrel free feeder, maybe I can get a songbird mix!

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  18. What a fun treat the birds had at your house! I will definitely have to do this over here. I LOVE birdwatching!

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  19.  We feed the birds and squirrels and I love watching them!! This is a fun idea, might have to try this out next time I have an orange around! 

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  20. Adorable – in my yard, though, it would last about 5 minutes because the stupid squirrels would jump on it and ruin it!! 🙁  Dumb squirrels!!

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  21. I love how easy this bird feeder is! I like too that it’s biodegradable and good for the Earth and birds.

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  22. Oh I’m totally doing this! I better pin it for later! My girls would love to help make this and then see the birds come to it! Fun learning!

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  23. I have been throwing seed onto the ground for the birds but I imagine this would be a lot nicer for the birds. I’ll have to make a few to hang in the trees.

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  24. That is not only functional but seriously cute too! What a great idea.

    I had to tell you though… my jaw has that sour clench at every picture of a lemon! haha!

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  25. What a great idea for  bird feeder! I will have to share this with my friend as she has a lemon tree that is mass producing right now.

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  26. I really need to try doing this in our yard, we have a ton of birds and they’re always digging around in my mulch looking for worms and making a real mess in the process. Maybe they’d be distracted by the bird feeder instead?!

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  27. Oh my goodness, how simple. I love this… my kids love seeing birds in the back yard, so we will definitely need to try it

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  28. This is a wonderful project that I would love to do with my boys!  They would get a kick out of watching the birds from our window 🙂

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  29. What a neat idea! I’m going to make a bird house for spring time and I’m kind of excited about it. I’ve never done anything like that before. 

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  30. Oh Ellen, that is such a nifty little idea! We have a bunch of clementines in the fridge, now I know what we are doing with them when we finish eating them!

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