Water Bottle Hummingbird Feeder

Hummingbird feeders can get pretty expensive. I decided to build one for less than $8.00! What can be more green that feeding a beautiful specie of nature, while recycling at the same time!

Step 1 Materials and Tools

I found all of the materials other than the water bottle, at my local Lowes. You can find any of these materials at a local hardware store.
Materials

• 1/4'' Copper Tubing $6.48 for 5 feet at Lowes. Make sure it is pliable.
• Caulk/Sealant $1.28 at Lowes. Food safe caulk would work the best.
• Water bottle- You can find these in the trash.

Tools

• Drill with a 1/8 in. drill bit
• Hacksaw to cut the copper tubing
• Measuring device

Comments

[Van_Franklin]

OK I made one all the water drained out as soon as I up ended it. I used a cork instead of the cap but it sealed off the water when I plugged the tube end. So no air getting in there. Any ideas?

[khouse2]

did you get this to work?
[e-mail]

[Van_Franklin]

A hacksaw leaves really jagged edges. I used a pipe cutter for this step =)

[wren99]

Any reason one couldn't use a straw instead of pipe?

[unjust]

please use food safe caulk! any adhesive is NOT ok, as they can leach some NASTY things and you;ll kill your lil visitors. look for "food safe" or safe for use on aquariums. generally this is ONLY silicone caulk, not silicone "II"

[jatrophacostarica]

instead of caulk, you could use wax.  Just melt a candle and add a few drips to the cap.  Cheap, earth-friendly, and nontoxic (use plain wax, not scented, just in case)

or bubble gum. seriously.  mash it in.  it'll last a frighteningly long time.

or a cork (from wine, for example)

[kcli]

Definitely worthy of my vote and I can't wait to make some! Because hummers are attracted to red (and red dyed sugar water is a no-no), perhaps some red sharpie accents/highlights would bring even more visitors.

[Brennn10]

Thank you! Yes, I have read that the dye is not very healthy for the hummingbirds. Maybe a little paint around the bottle will help it attract more birds.

[Shut Up Now]

what about using beet to dye the water?

[pbmcm]

You could also add a fake flower to the tip, but I wonder if it would rest against the tip and wick the nectar out (creating a drip).

[Shut Up Now]

great ible, and for anyone that doesnt have a drill, you could try melting the hole too.

[ty.melvin]

What is keeping the liquid from just draining out the end?

[cowscankill]

Atmospheric pressure (I think). It won't drain unless there is a whole in the top for air to flow through. If the water left the bottle without a hole, a vacuum would form. This keeps the water in place.

[hurten]

If you have a problem with ants invading your feeder, you could add a little bend in your hanger wire between the feeder and the hook end. Then attach a cotton ball soaked in any type of cooking oil. The cotton ball must be wrapped around the wire completely. The oil will keep the ants from laying down a scent trail to get to the sweet food mix.

[chriself]

Does the angle on the pipe keep the nectar from running out? Or does it drip? I don't want to attract bees or hornets to the ground under my feeder.

[Brennn10]

The wonderful concept of gravity keeps the liquid in the water bottle. At the tip of the pipe, it pools a little bit, so when the hummingbird comes to feed it sucks it up. And yes, the angle on the pipe does help to keep the liquid from draining out, because the more air in the top, the more will be pushed out.

[pbmcm]

Have you tried with multiple tubes? I presume that the more surface area you have on the bottom the more easily it will drip. But would two tubes still cut it if you could fit both in the cap?

[chriself]

Ah,gravity, that's the thing that keeps us from floating off of the earth, right? :P Thanks for explaining and for the great instructable! I can't wait to try it out!

[HummerGal]

I have also located a website that offers an inexpensive bee-proof hummingbird feeder base that will be very handy to folks who have a lot of bees in their area. You simply use their base and your recycled Coke or water bottle and you have an inexpensive, bee proof hummingbird feeder. You can find them at: www.thehummingbirdstore.com. Great idea for kids too!

[=SMART=]

Very good !, We sell these at my garden center and the good ones cost about £30/$60 ! p.s. ........ Is that bird photoshopped ?

[Brennn10]

Yea, the picture in Step 8 is photoshopped. In this cold weather, I feel it is impossible to capture a picture of a hummingbird feeding at this time of year.

[=SMART=]

Of course, Very good photoshopping though !

[stncilr]

hehe, if that was real the hummingbird would be extremely small!