Winter’s hard on songbirds. Shelter is scarce, winds are frigid, and the food’s all buried under snow and ice. That’s why we soft-hearted animal lovers like to put out bird seed.

Feeders are an easy way to keep your local finches plump, and they’re also useful for tracking winter populations. Cornell University even runs a national FeederWatch program where you can log your bird sightings from November to April.

The design is simple, but commercial bird feeders aren’t cheap: they can run from $20 to, I kid you not, $557.97. Alternatively, you can make one yourself for $0. I ran into these yesterday while snowshoeing at Tahoe Meadows; some kind local had left them out for the chickadees.

Yep, that’s what it looks like: a Gatorade bottle filled with sunflower seeds, with a twig stuck in the bottom for a perch. Totally low-tech, and totally surrounded with birds (not shown, they flew away).

Want to make one? Here’s how:

1. Cut a couple of green twigs (green will hold up better without breaking), about 5 to 8 inches long.
2. Cut an X in the bottle, slightly smaller than the width of the twig base, and push the twig in far enough that it won’t fall out. Do the same on the other side.
3. Cut a small hole, about 3/4″ in diameter, an inch or two above the twig. If you want to feed bigger birds, make a bigger hole.
4. Remove the lid and poke two small holes in the mouth of the bottle. Thread a string or wire through the holes to make a hangy thing.
5. Pour in some birdseed.
6. Hang it on something!

Photo: tufted titmouse by Dawn Huczek