Fun Bird Feeder Crafts

I am toying with the idea of making a Christmas tree for the wild birds. I can pick up a cheap 4-footer (fake, of course) at the Thrift or the Sally Ann and then “decorate” it with suet and seed cones and dried bread, bits of dried fruit, etc and tie it all on with red yarn or ripped strips of red or plaid fabric (wools are good because the birds can pick the fabric apart and use the “threads” for nesting in the spring ). My butcher has beef suet (does not melt as fast as pork fat and it is a better high energy fat for the birds in winter) and its not that expensive. I could set it up on the table on my deck and it would be a blast to watch the birds feeding from it out my window.

I found some neat ideas at these sites …

A Home for Wild Birds

If you are looking for bird feeder crafts, then you have come to the right place.

I have always enjoyed bird watching, but I never seemed to have enough time to follow my passion. I discovered the best way to see more wild birds was to attract them into my yard using wild bird feeders. I found myself adding more and more bird feeders and attracting more and more wild birds. As my hobby grew, I noticed that my children were showing little interest in the wild birds that were visiting our backyard.

Seeing that my children were becoming disconnected with nature, I began searching for ways to get them interested in bird watching. The best place to start was in my backyard and making bird feeders seemed to be the best way to achieve this.

Our first project was a pine cone bird feeder. We made three of them, one for my daughter, one for my son and, of course, one for me. What I noticed first, were the questions. Birds eat peanut butter? What kinds of seeds do birds like the most? They were already showing more interest than they ever had before.

Each day they could not wait to see which birds were attracted their feeders. Soon they were asking for help in identifying the wild birds that were eating from their feeders. They began wanting more… more kinds of wild birds, more backyard bird crafts, etc.

So we worked on attracting more wild birds using new types of wild bird seed and working on new bird feeder crafts. I am happy to share these bird feeder crafts with you. I hope you and your family enjoy them.

If you are a wild bird enjoyer, you’ll find a great batch of other crafty ideas and things to buy at their site: http://www.a-home-for-wild-birds.com/index.html

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I found some cool stuff here, too …

Recycled Christmas trees decorated for wild birds

The OSU Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens are not just for people this winter. Wild birds have been welcomed to visit through the “Buckeyes for Birds” program.

Recycled Christmas trees were “planted” in containers and adorned with a variety of tasty treats. One treat made from a peanut butter, cornmeal and seed combination strongly resembles a buckeye candy and the buckeye fruit, hence the name “Buckeyes for Birds”.

“In addition to providing food, the evergreens offer protection from the weather and predators for the birds,” explained Laura Burchfield, landscape designer and H&CS instructor. “Wild birds add a wonderful element to any garden by infusing the space with movement, song and color that is often lacking in the stark winter landscape. Backyard bird feeding is a great way to attract birds, learn to identify them, study their behavior, and help them out by providing winter food.”

The “Buckeyes for Birds” program is also meant to inspire home gardeners to establish their own backyard bird feeding locations. An informational flyer can be found in the garden kiosk that includes the recipes and other useful tips for attracting wild birds that visitors can take home to their own gardens.

“Our demonstration uses commonly available materials and recycled Christmas trees. Species which have rigid branches, such as spruces and firs, work the best in order to hold the heavier bird treats,” noted Burkholder. “Different species of birds prefer different types of food, so a good book on backyard bird feeding will help you decide which species you want to attract and what they eat. In general, winter bird food preferences can be divided into fruit, seeds, nuts, and suet (beef or mutton fat). Our recipes include all of these items.”

They also have recipes for the birds on their site. Hope you’ll check it out for yourself!

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I was searching for ideas for different “ornaments” to make for my tree and found this site …

Drs Foster and Smith

It has some really super and very too cool things for sale. Being relatively “crafty”, I can see where I can make some (a lot) of these at home …

I really like this one:

Cookie Cutter ideas

I’ll check out the thrift stores for some Christmas cookie cutters!!!

And I am thinking some old onion bags (the bulk 100-lb size) could be used to make something like this:

Finch Stockings

If you’re not “crafty” and don’t feel you can make your own bird treats, now you know where you can find some awesome ones to buy.

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Bethany Roberts is a children’s book author … http://bethanyroberts.com/index.htm

Bethany Roberts

She has a page on her site about making tree ornaments for birds and has some interesting ideas for suet mixes and recipes. You can find them here: http://bethanyroberts.com/ChristmasfortheBirds.htm

This one appeals to me:

Pinecone Bird Feeders
You will need:
large pinecones
peanut butter (natural, unsalted peanut butter is best- birds prefer chunky!)
bird seed (mixed variety-  some birds like sunflower seeds best, so have that in the mix)
bacon fat or melted suet
cornmeal
red yarn

Mix the peanut butter, fat, cornmeal, and birdseed.  Spread it thickly onto the pinecone “petals.”
Tie a piece of red yarn to the top of the pinecone.
Tie the pinecone to a tree branch.

When I get time, I think I’ll check out her “Tips for Writers” page, too.

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And that’s it for me for today … Have a happy and healthy day – and feed the wild birds!!!!