Introduction: Mapped Lid for Bird Feeder

I had recently made a bird feeder for the garden using timber left over from a fencing project. The table was alright but needed a cover to keep the food dry and also allow the birds to enter and feed.

The only lid I could find that was about the right size was a plastic top cover from a water butt, this was OK but looked very bland and out of keeping with the table.

The solution was to jazz it up a bit by covering the plastic over.

Step 1: Materials

The plastic water butt lid

An old road atlas

A bucket

A paint brush

Water soluble PVA adhesive

Spray varnish

Step 2:

The map book pages are torn out into irregular pieces.

The torn pieces are then put into a bucket of water to soak for 15 minutes.

Step 3: Applying Adhesive

The plastic lid is given a brushed on coat of PVA adhesive.

Step 4: Apply the Map Pieces

The map pieces were layered randomly onto the plastic lid with plenty of overlap.

A few well known place names were picked out with stuck on labels for added interest.

Once thoroughly dried, a coat of varnish was sprayed over all the mapped area to provide some water proofing.

Step 5: The Finished Mapped Cover

Once the varnish had dried, the cover was assembled onto the bird feeder.

Now the birds can eat and plan their flights at the same time!