Repurpose This Thrift Store Find Into A Brilliant Hummingbird Feeder Hack

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Hanging a hummingbird feeder in the right place is one way to attract these tiny birds to your yard, but there's more you can do to help them feel safe and satiated. One way is by adding a protective canopy or dome on top of your feeder. Instead of purchasing an umbrella-style dome, why make your own and save some money? This DIY feeder cover is made from materials easily found at thrift or discount stores, or that you may already have.

A feeder canopy offers a number of benefits. While hummingbirds don't mind using a feeder in midday or during a light rain, a canopy or dome above a feeder provides a bit of shade and rain protection, while helping nectar stay fresh. Nectar gets moldy, and direct sunlight can accelerate mold. An opaque canopy may also hide hummingbirds from overhead predators so they feel safer as they dine. 

One easy way to create shade is by repurposing a waterproof placemat. If you can't find one at a thrift store, use something like the Moroccan tile placemats at Dollar Tree. A small wire grid for pictures or displaying products, such as the Only Hangers mini grid panel, provides support for flexible plastic to keep its canopy shape.  You don't necessarily need a placemat: Any fairly flat or domed item made from a durable, weather-resistant material will work, as will a miniature umbrella.

You'll also need a hanging basket chain with three or four chains leading up to one central hook. An inexpensive way to get one is to buy a Garden Collection hanging wire planter from Dollar Tree and remove the clip-on chain from the planter basket. Save the basket for another project. 

First, find the center of your wire grid (a plastic pegboard also makes a decent support for this project). Lay the chain's center hook at this midpoint and spread the three or four suspension chains equally to the corners or sides of the grid. At the center point, add one or two loops using zip ties. This is where you'll hang your feeder under the canopy. A small carabiner clip or key ring is even simpler and sturdier. After that, cut a placemat, plastic flag, or even a piece of opaque plastic tarp so it's the same size as the grid (you'll want to be able to slide it into place with the chains attached). Set it in place, atop the grid, and secure it to the grid with binder clips, mini clothespins, or spring-loaded clamps near the corners. Find the best spot for the feeder in your yard or on your patio, then hang this shade. You can easily hook and remove the feeder from the zip ties.

This canopy DIY offers a lot of room for creativity. It doesn't have to be flat: A red plastic colander turned upside down is another way to provide cover. Or loop wire through the top of a mini umbrella for a clever, cute, and colorful way to protect the hummingbird feeder (the feeder will suspend from the crook). An upside down plastic bowl or old pie tin could also work. Hummingbirds are attracted to red and similar colors such as orange and pink, so these colors on a feeder cover could capture the hummingbirds' attention. If you have two nectar stations next to one another, keep the hummingbird feeders conflict-free with a similar DIY structure that features a canopy and a suspended wall to separate the feeders.