Bottle-Top Bird Feeder Kit

A green feeding tray and a screw-on adapter that turn any standard drinks bottle into a hanging seed feeder. Fill the bottle, screw the tray on, turn it over and hang it up. That is the whole job, and it takes about a minute.

Seed drops into the tray on its own as the birds eat it, so it keeps feeding itself until the bottle runs out. When you want to clean it, you unscrew the tray and rinse both parts under the tap — no awkward corners to get into.

What you get

• Green feeding tray with a perch ring around the edge
• Screw-on bottle adapter that fits standard bottle threads
• Hanging loop — hangs from a hook, branch or balcony rail
• Bottle not included. Any clean drinks bottle works

Who it suits

This is the easiest way to find out whether birds will come to your yard before you spend real money on a feeder. It is also a good one for a balcony, a rented place, or a spot where you do not want to drill anything. Small birds take to it fastest: finches, chickadees, sparrows and titmice.

Good to know

Use a dry seed — black-oil sunflower or a small mixed seed. Damp seed will clump and stop feeding down. Bring it in or empty it before a long stretch of heavy rain.