DIY automatic outdoor bird feeder

Here's a simple DIY project for an automatic, battery operated, outdoor wild bird feeder using a relatively inexpensive programmable kibble dispenser designed for cats and dogs that's readily-available online. These dispensers (there are many brands) aren't designed for outdoor use, so I've built a simple weatherproof enclosure to protect it from the elements.

[@coolnegative]

Simple yet elegant solution. It looks very nice.

[@UltimaSpark50]

Did anyone else feel like the cicadas came out later than usual this summer?

[@cazpettigrew575]

Very clever set up. The only issue in suburban areas is rats. I suspect that recently rats even have eaten my frogs. Leaving any food about overnight only encourages the blighters.

[@possm1]

In the few days of this setup being in operation it was evident that by nightfall, almost everything had gone and the only critter to turn up in the night was Mrs Brushtail. Before this setup I tried a simple gravity-fed thing with a hopper made from plastic sewerage pipe which fed down a narrow chute into small feed bowl made from 40mm pipe with an opening only about 30mm wide. But the little buggers learned to game the system. The Red-browed fences hopped straight in through the tiny opening and raked everything out for the possum and others to gobble up.
The great thing with the mechanical feeder is that you can regulate the size of the feeds and once that's gone they've got no way of getting any more until the next programmed drop. And my design ensures there's no way rodents can get into the hopper.
I've also added dried currants and dried mealworms to the mix. The former for berry eaters and the latter for insectivores, although I've noticed just about everything is happy to eat the mealworms! It will be interesting to see what species are turning up after the setup had been operating for a few weeks.