To feed birds, a pine cone bird feeder may be just for you. It's fun to make, doesn't take a lot of time to put together and is environmentally friendly. Your children can easily make some of the simpler fillings for the feeders.
General Instructions
First find a nice big open pine cone or two. Perhaps you have one in your backyard or a neighbor will give you one.
Next, take a long piece of bendable wire and wrap and twist around the top of the pine cone to hold it in place. If you don't have bendable wire, use a long piece of string.
Pine Cone Bird Feeder Recipes
Peanut butter
Birdseed
Using a knife, spread peanut butter all over the pine cone. Then, sprinkle birdseed over the peanut butter. Finally, roll the pine cone in additional birdseed to make everything stick together.
Hang the pine cone in a tree and enjoy as the birds in your yard enjoy a special treat.
Variations:
Use two different types of birdseeds, one to sprinkle and one to roll.
#2
½ cup shortening
½ cup cornmeal
Birdseed
Mix together the shortening and cornmeal until well blended.
Fill in the pine cone.
Roll the pine cone in birdseed.
Variations:
Substitute quick oatmeal for cornmeal. Add raisins, chopped dried fruit or chopped nuts in any combination that you desire to the pine cone bird feeder.
#3
½ cup suet, chopped into small pieces*
½ cup peanut butter, chunky or smooth
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup cornmeal
½ cup wild bird seed
Melt the suet over low heat in a saucepan. After the suet is completely liquefied, strain it through cheesecloth. When the suet has cooled a little, mix all the other ingredients in except the bird seed. Spread the peanut butter-suet mix into pinecones. Then, roll the pine cones in bird seed.
Variations: Add chopped dried fruit, chopped nuts and/or raisins to the bird seed.
*Suet is fat taken from around the kidneys and loins of sheep and cows. Ask your butcher for fresh suet.
A pine cone bird feeder will provide birds in your yard much needed energy during cold winter weather. As the season starts to change and the weather gets warmer, switch to other types of foods for birds as these fillings can easily spoil in heat.
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