Every morning, the birds in Maya Levi's garden have breakfast at a very special place. It is a bird feeder, and eleven-year-old Maya built it herself.
It all started last winter. Maya saw a small bird looking for food on the cold ground. “I felt sorry for it,” she says. “I wanted to help.” She found an old wooden box, some string and a plastic bottle at home. Her grandfather helped her cut the wood, and together they made a little roof.
At first, no birds came. Maya was disappointed, but she didn't give up. She moved the feeder near a tree, where the birds felt safe. Two days later, the first sparrow arrived. Now sparrows and other small birds visit every day.
Maya keeps a notebook and writes down every bird she sees. “My friends think it's a strange hobby,” she laughs, “but some of them want to build feeders too.” Her advice is simple: “Use things you already have, and be patient.”