Pine cone bird feeder
A pine cone packed with vegetable fat and seeds, hung outside: then watch the tits come for a feast.
Age : age 3+
Materials
- Open, dry pine cones : Collected on a walk.
- Solid vegetable fat (cooking fat or coconut fat) : Palm-oil-free if possible.
- A bird seed mix : Sunflower, unsalted peanuts, cracked corn.
- String
- A bowl and a spoon
Steps
Prepare
- Tie a strong piece of string round the top of each pine cone.
- Soften the fat (the grown-up warms it gently, without heating it hot).
- Mix it with the seeds in the bowl.
- Use the spoon to pack the mixture between the scales of the cone.
- Then roll it in seeds to cover it well.
- Put it in the fridge for 1 hour to harden.
Hang and watch
- Hang the feeder somewhere open, away from bushes where cats hide, and visible from a window.
- Watch every day: who comes? Blue tit, robin, sparrow?
- Keep a little visitors' notebook with a drawing of each.
Only feed birds in winter, especially when it freezes: that's when they find the least food. In spring, cut down and then stop, so they feed their chicks on insects.
An apple or orange cut in half, hollowed out and filled with the same mix also makes a pretty feeder.
If it goes wrong
- Mix won't stay on : Let it cool a little before filling.
- No birds come : Wait a few days, move it near a tree.
Safety
- Never bread, milk or salty food: they're bad for birds.
- Watch out for peanut allergies in children: if so, use a peanut-free mix.
- Wash hands after handling the seeds.