By Recycled Crafts Contributor, Anitra from the blog “Coffee Pot People”.  

Did you know that not all hummingbirds migrate in the winter? It’s true! And not only do they survive winter temperatures very well, feeding them year-round is a Good Thing, and will garner you what very few people see: hummingbirds at your feeders in the dead of winter. For a very good article on this subject, visit here.

That said, let’s get busy and make our own hummingbird feeder, and give those hardy little hummers something to eat!

You’ll need:

• A feeder nozzle, available at pet stores, and bird feed suppliers (Portland area: Back Yard Bird Shop has them)
• An empty bottle with a neck the right size for the nozzle
• Sturdy but flexible wire, roughly 16 gauge
• Flat marbles and/or small glass tiles
• Wire cutters
• Pliers
• Glass adhesive such as E6000

To begin, clean your bottle thoroughly and let it dry. Lay it on the table and cut enough wire to go up one side and down the other with enough extra to leave a nice size hanging loop:

On each end of the wire make a wire-wrapped loop:

Now cut a piece of wire about five inches longer than the circumference of the neck of your bottle where the shoulder begins to widen:

Thread this wire through the loops of your longer wire:

Loop the short wire around the neck, and twist to fit. Don’t try to make it a tight fit. Just tighten it enough to be near the shoulder of the bottle:

Position the wrapped loops of the long wire so they’re on opposite sides of the bottle neck, smooth the wire down the sides of the bottle, and bend it sharply over the bottom, twisting at the center to create a big loop:

Glue flat marbles to the bottom of the bottle in a pleasing pattern. Be sure to put at least one or two of the marbles directly over the wire. That creates a kind of glass-wire-glass sandwich, and will keep the wire from coming loose. Stand your bottle in a glass and let the glue dry.

At this point, your hummingbird feeder is ready to use. All you need to do is fill it, put the nozzle in, and hang it up. But wouldn’t it be fun to decorate the sides? That’s what my mom, aunt, daughter and I did, and here are our finished feeders: