Driftwood Weathered Wood Bird Feeder and Stand
I recently added this sweet weathered wood bird feeder and stand to our backyard and aged it using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish. I wanted it to match and blend in more with our aged and weathered wood fencing. Once I had all the materials, it took about 30 minutes to assemble, stain and paint this bird feeder and stand. Pretty easy actually and now we are thoroughly enjoying watching the many birds frequent the feeder all day long. Especially Bella, our cat whose morning routine is sitting in front of the back door. She is completely mesmerized by the visiting wildlife just beyond the glass door.
Items Needed
- Bird feeder. I purchased the Woodlink Cedar Bird Feeder from Amazon – $34.84
- 18″ Woodlink Audubon Wrap Around Squirrel Baffle also purchased from Amazon – $18.49
- Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish
- 1 Vinyl Wrapped Wood Closet Round Pole by Woodgrain Millwork from Home Depot – 1 5/16″ x 72″
- 1 Galvanized steel nipple from Home Depot – 1 1/2″ x 2″
- 1 Iron floor flange from Home Depot – 1 1/2″
- Used Sunbrella stand
I wanted a bird feeder that I could easily move around the yard and into the garage should a hurricane approach. But I also needed one that would be easy for me to fill and one that fit in with the surroundings. The more I looked at the two unused sun umbrella stands in the yard, the simplier the answer seemed to be – attach the bird feeder to a pole and insert it into the sunbrella stand. Seemed easy enough and certainly cheaper than buying a bird feeder pole kit. If you don’t have an extra sunbrella stand on hand, you can find them at yard sales, thrift stores, Craig’s List, etc. or even cheap ones online.
The two sunbrella stands I had on hand.
I found the style birdhouse I wanted on Amazon along with a recommended squirrel baffle.
One thing I ended up doing is removing the two wire cages on the ends of the bird feeder used for holding suet cakes. I did not find that the birds liked them although it was probably the type of suet I was using. Once I removed the wiring, I applied the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish to give it age and create my weathered wood bird feeder and stand.
Staining the bird feeder with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish to match my fencing. Notice I’ve already got the flange and nipple attached to the bottom of the bird feeder and I removed the wire cages for the suet cakes.
I now have the weathered look I want to match the fencing.
Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart and many other stores all carry poles and the plumbing hardware I needed to attach the bird feeder and to also set it into the stand. I purchased the vinyl-wrapped wood pole from the closet department and the flange and steel nipple from the plumbing department. I thought the vinyl would help the wood last longer in the outdoor elements. Be sure that whatever width size pole that you purchase will fit into your sunbrella stand. Most stands are adjustable to accommodate various sizes – just make sure you don’t get one too big.
Putting the Weathered Wood Bird Feeder and Stand and Together
The iron floor flange needed to be small enough to fit on the bottom of the bird feeder and the galvanized steel nipple needs to fit inside the flange. The steel nipple needs to fit over the top of the pole so that it can be easily lifted on and off.
1 1/2″ iron floor flange; 1 5/16″ x 72″ vinyl covered pole; 1 1/2″ x 2″ galvanized steel nipple
The beauty of this bird feeder is that I can lift it up and off the pole easily when I need to refill the seed. And it sits secure enough on the pole so that I’m not worried about it coming off in any wind. I’m 5’2″ so the 2″ nipple worked perfectly for me but if you are taller, you can go with a 4 or 6″ nipple and it will really sit solidly on the pole.
I inserted the pole into the sunbrella stand, adjusted the tightening mechanism and attached the squirrel baffle about 4 feet off the ground. Then spray painted the pole black to match the baffle.
I then attached the flange to the bottom with screws and screwed the galvanized nipple into the flange. The bird feeder is now ready to slide over the top of the pole. That’s it – just slide it over the top. There is no need to screw or secure it in place. It will stay on the pole just fine and you will still be able to easily lift it on and off the pole to refill it. It’s amazingly sturdy even in the wind.
Attached the flange to the bottom of the bird feeder with screws and then screw the steel nipple into the flange. Slip over the top of the pole. It should fit snuggly but still easy enough to lift on and off.
Fill it and Enjoy the Wildlife
I fill my bird feeder with white millet and it is constantly visited by morning doves, cardinals, woodpeckers and bluejays. Thankfully, the crows and grackles don’t like millet so they stay away. The baffle works perfectly to keep the squirrels out of the bird feeder as long it is placed at least 15 feet from anywhere they can jump. And every morning I have a rabbit or two mingling about the bottom of the bird feeder with the squirrels. I don’t know if they like eating the millet seed but I now put carrots out for the rabbits. We have a deal – I give them carrots and they don’t eat my hostas. So far so good…
I painted the pole black.
We changed from a oiled sunflower birdseed mix to a white millet and no more crows or grackles. Just cardinals, morning doves, woodpeckers and bluejays. Plus squirrels and rabbits feeding at the bottom.
Notice my rabbits. They do enjoy my yard and we enjoy watching them.
If you prefer a more whimsical birdhouse made from actual driftwood pieces in additional to our weathered wood bird feeder and stand, check out this tutorial.