Bird botherer

Protect strawberries and other crops with Mark Rayner's novel bird scarer.

You will need: Old broom handle or piece of thick dowel, two pieces of 25mm x 50mm treated battening cut to 750mm and 250mm, chisel, hammer, saw, pencil, Resene Quick Dry, Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Time Out, large nail and nail punch, 40mm galvanised nails, exterior PVA glue, garden twine, paintbrush, 6 large stainless steel spoons, 4 tin cans, drill with 4mm drill bit and galvanised staples. The top section of this nifty bird-scarer spins in the wind, while the hanging spoons and cans make plenty of noise.

Top tip: When fixing the spoons to the revolving top, make sure the bowls of each spoon face in opposite directions to catch the wind.

Step one
Mark a 50mm strip across the broom handle and make a series of parallel cuts in this strip at a depth of about 10mm, as shown. Carefully chisel out the sections of timber between these.

Step two
Attach the larger piece of battening across the broom handle, fitting it into the cut out section, as shown. Fix with two nails and PVA glue.

Step three
Cut two 60mm slots down either end of the other piece of battening, as shown, and drill a 4mm hole in the centre.

Step four
Slide two of the spoons into each of the slots and apply a generous amount of PVA glue to fix. Bind together tightly with garden twine, as shown, fixing the ends with a generous amount of PVA glue. Allow the glue to dry.

Step five
Apply one coat of Resene Quick Dry to the wooden cross piece and the smaller wooden top piece, as shown. Leave to dry for two hours.

Step six
Punch a hole in each can's base and thread a knotted piece of twine through it. Tie a piece of twine to each remaining spoon's handle, using a blob of PVA around the knotted twine to keep it in place.

Step seven
Paint the wooden crosspiece and the smaller wooden top-piece with two coats of Resene Time Out, allowing two hours for each coat to dry.

Step eight
When the glue is dry, attach the spoons and cans to the crosspiece, as shown, using the staples. Tie off the twine and secure it with a big blob of glue. Fix a nail in the broom handle's top. Place the turning, top section in place.

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