Alright – let’s make a hummingbird perch now! We know they love that sweet syrup we offer them, but what about a place to swing on, too?
I will tell you the truth, it’s great when I see those pretty buggers making a beeline for the feeder I constructed for them – trouble is, they are very flitty. I’ve been wanting to photograph one for ages, but it’s easier said than done.
Now I’ve heard that these guys also love little perches too – I wonder if they will hang around longer in that case?
Well, I guess I’m going to find out sooner or later! We still have plenty of birds in my backyard as I hear them singing away (it’s still too soon for them to fly south so I’m having a ball watching them.)
Now I’m going to introduce you to yet another new tutorial craft to make your backyard as bird-friendly as you like! This is my first one…I’m going to re-create it using the same design, but new materials as the wire has tarnished.
Materials List
Ok…here we go! Get all of these things together…
At least 3 meters of craft wire
Pliers
Assortment of beads (or other ornamentation to your liking)
A base for the perch – such as a strong piece of a tree limb
Let’s Make It!
One quick disclaimer – for my first perch, I used a piece of a tree limb. For this one, I’m using a short stretcher bar from an old canvas. It is about 10″ in length. Make sure you get a nice thicker limb, like about 1″ in diameter, so it’ll be a strong perch.
I painted it a dark brown stain, next thing I did was drill holes in each side about half an inch from the edges for which the wire would be going.
Measure and cut a length of wire about 24″ in length – there needs to be a little margin of error and enough overhang to wrap around the limb part.I would recommend you use a wider wire gauge for this part; I am using about a 12 gauge here.
Making the Wire Adornments For Your DIY Hummingbird Perch
The second section will be the wire you use to dress up your perch and make it look really really good. You can also use varying wire thicknesses – it will really add interest to your finished perch/swing if you do this – or use varying wire colors too!
Make many small sections as well – I am using two different pairs of pliers – a blunt nose and a needle nose.
If you work with wire a great deal – you probably understand well the importance of having more than one pair of pliers – I have a needle nose which I use to curl over ends so they won’t be exposed, and blunt nose pliers, I use them to cut the wire.
Beads interspersed between the wire flourishes looks really dope – Try to include beads with vibrant, showy colors too, like orange, red, and bright pink. We’re hoping to attract hummingbirds here, and as you know they LOVE color!
PRO TIP: I’d strongly recommend you use glass beads instead of plastic – the latter fades in the sunlight more over time.
I also use a ballpoint pen and wrap wire over it repeatedly like this to create little curlicues – fun and creates visual interest!
To make cute wire flourishes for your perch, use your pliers to curl the sharp end under, and insert a few pretty beads through…You can make loops like I did with the pen above, or twist it around another small object too!
Now we’re going to get the long main piece you cute earlier – Take this and wrap the ends around the opposite ends of the limb to create a nice arch over the perch.
Try to go around the limbs about two times to make it secure. Bring up the ends around and wrap them around tightly.
Now start adding your flourish pieces interspersed with beads – I just wrap them around; this doesn’t have to be that tight as they hold on pretty easily to the main wire.
As an optional step, you can create a special flourish in the middle too! I’m using a dangly little glass butterfly – what do you think?
Make the Hanger Look Good Too!
To create a hanger, you can use another piece of wire or straight fishing line. If you use wire best to go up a thicker gauge so it’ll be stronger. And don’t be afraid to jazz it up too, with some swirls and curls!
Where should you hang your finished hummer perch? Anywhere in your garden area, obviously – near a patio would be ideal so you can see any birds approach! For now I am hanging mine on this shepherd’s crook for the purpose of photographing – but later on I may find a different spot for it.
So…what do you think? Isn’t this a great lawn ornament? I wonder if these attract other wild birds as well? We shall see I guess! Either way, this was fun, and it looks so cute too! Honestly, I never see bird perches in stores – this is a great gap to fill.
