For the Birds

It’s Spring and many animals are looking for some extra food for their new families – especially birds. You probably have more types of birds hanging around your yard than you can imagine! Miss Angel, our STEM Educator, is showing us how to make a simple feeder that you can hang to attract birds. After the steps, check out some links to help you identify the birds that you see!

For this project, you’ll need yarn or string, a bowl, a popsicle stick, sunflower butter (peanut butter also works but make sure you’re not allergic!), and bird feed.

First, cut some lengths of yarn and tie one end to each pine cone by making a loop and a knot. Then cover your pine cones with your sunflower butter completely.

Next, pour your bird feed over the pine cones. You can also add nuts or seeds for variety. If you study what types of birds visit your yard, you could put out the type of food that they like. For instance, Woodpeckers really like walnuts!

When you’ve covered the pine cones, place the entire bowl into the refrigerator overnight. This will cause the sunflower butter to harden.

The next day, take your feeder outside. Remove the pine cones from the bowl and hang in a tree, or on a post by the strings. Different birds will visit your feeder at different heights. If you have other wildlife like squirrels, or deer, they may also be interested in your feeder.

Observe and enjoy!

Be a Bird Nerd

Backyard bird watching is becoming more popular than ever. Here are a few handy resources for identifying the birds you see in your yard.

Bird Identification from the Audubon Society

Download the FREE Merlin Bird ID app from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology for your bird ID needs on the go!

You can also participate in a Citizen Science project form the Cornell Lab from home!