Re-purposed circular sconce candle holder turned bird feeder
Another problem is that the votives are so tiny that the burn time is less than an hour each until they need to be replaced. Even though these tea lights are only 50 cents at Walmart, I still found myself not wanting to be bothered with yet another chore.
So this piece started to get dusty. When we repainted the wood wall it was hung in, it got moved to the garage which is only one step away from the donation pile. Its fate was starting to look quite bleak. Then it hit me. Kind of like lightening. This use would kill two birds…I guess I now meant two squirrels with one stone!
The cups are small enough that other animals and yes…I’m specifically thinking about those dang squirrels do have tremendous trouble stealing the bird food. And since the small votive holders are glass, it makes it nice and sanitary for the birds.
Try filling two-thirds of the votives with food and save a few to refill with water. This way your feeder becomes a one-stop shop for your feathered friends. Food and water.
Big bonus spin. There’s no work involved here. No tools, no effort. You just dump the candles and fill the tiny vases with food. But you should at least clean them first. I hand washed mine before filling them with food to keep my feathered friends safe and healthy. Just make sure the cups are completely dry before filling with food so no mold can grow.
Some of these former candle wall sconces turned re-purposed bird feeders are quite small if you don’t want to lug one home as big as mine. They may only have 4-6 glass votives to fill and that might be spot-on for you! So we’re keeping this post short and sweet today with an idea that’s even sweeter…..especially for your hungry bird friends! I hope you try it.
The smaller wall sconces can be hung from a Shepherd’s hook too if you don’t want to be bothered mounting it to a wall.
Location…..location….location…..
We also decided to place ours next to our DIY bird bath. Eat, drink and bathe; these birds are living the life of luxury. Until our cat spots them.
Did you know? Birds need to eat year-round (duh) so keeping those feeders filled year-round will yield some contented birds. Even in the dead of winter! This means choosing a spot for your feeder where you can still easily reach it. No deep snow!
Breeding season (spring) is the most important time to feed the birds! Don’t short-change them when they need the food the most.
Food for thought…
We love trying various foods such as:
- Black oil sunflower seed
- Milo
- Millet
- Striped sunflower seed
- Cracked or whole kernel corn
- Safflower
- Nyjer seed (to attract those adorable yellow finches)
- Crushed peanuts
Premium bird seed mixes can be pricey at $35 for a 20 pound bag such as the Wild Delight brand, however, the birds are thrilled with this mix that includes millet, sunflower seed and milo. Our house is a bird magnet. You could also just make your own mix by buying in bulk.
It’s also a huge plus if you have fruit trees in your backyard. We have a large cherry tree in the way back of our place that is the bird hang-out zone. They also devour our gooseberry bushes.
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