Knothole Feeder Version II

In a previous blog entry I showed the steps involved in making a knothole feeder with a piece of bark. This is a slightly different version using a piece of solid firewood. Knothole feeders are extremely useful for photographing species of birds and mammals that are cavity nesters and users. If it is properly made these species have no fear of going inside a feeder of this type and using it. (Please click to enlarge images) Step one the most difficult part is finding a useful starter piece of wood that has a partial hole or cavity where a branch used to be on the tree. Step two is to use a hole saw to drill a hole into the backside of the wood into the cavity so you can enlarge it. You may have to use a chisel or a sawzall to remove excess material. I used both tools to remove a few small bits. Step three is to use a pair of tin snips to cut vertical strips all away around the top of a tin can. After you have cut the vertical strips use a pair of pliers to fold the strips down ninety degrees to make tabs for securing the can to the wood. Step four is to center the can over the hole on the back of the wood. Use some short wood screws to drill through the metal tabs to secure the can to the back of the wood. Step five is to screw a piece of one by three to the feeder to attach it someplace so you can use it for photography. Here is a sample image from this morning of a Red Breasted Nuthatch that came to get some black sunflower seed that I poured into it. This afternoon I photographed a little bit more with the knothole feeder. Here is a Chestnut Backed Chickadee coming in for some seed.