Man makes bird feeders from old lampshades

    Birds in southeast Iowa have never been fed in such style. Thanks to Mike Shannan of rural Washington, the birds that flock to his house eat from feeders of all different colors, shapes and sizes. Shannan has made bird feeders in his house for the last couple of months, and now sells them to other bird lovers.

    Shannan?s feeders are composed of three main parts: a silver tray on the bottom with holes cut out for the birds to find the seed, a glass jar above it and a decorative top that provides the birds refuge from the rain or sun. The tops are recycled household materials that have outlived their original purposes. Shannan uses old bowls, glass lampshades and anything else that is ?different and pretty.?

    ?I like to use materials that look attractive and are recyclable, that no longer have a use,? he said.

    Shannan got the idea to make bird feeders on his own upon visiting a craft show in Branson, Mo., earlier this year. While there, he met someone who produced homemade feeders.

    ?The person in Branson used old dishes to make the feeders,? he said. ?I liked that idea. My girlfriend Sherry (Bertsch) thought they were really neat, so she had to buy one. I thought, ?Hey, that?s something I could do in my spare time.??

    And it turned out Shannan was right; he could make them on his own. 

    ?I?ve made close to 50 so far,? he said. ?When I started doing it two or three months ago, I was going to make them for us and our relations. Later, I said, ?I should make more of these to see if I can sell them.??

    Bertsch has taken a few of Shannan?s wares to her flower shop in Mt. Pleasant to put on sale. Shannan made his first foray into the world of sales a week ago when he took his feeders to the Farmers Market in Washington. He said he was pleased with the reception he got at the market and has made plans to return.

     At first, Shannan scrounged around his house for ornamental tops. He later decided he would need more glass fixtures than he had in his house, and began purchasing them elsewhere.

For the full story, see the Oct. 6 edition of The Washington Evening Journal