How about creating a Bird Café offering a selection of tasty treats for the birds in our backyard? Each of these bird feeders is quick & easy to make, & has already attracted a variety of birds to our garden.
First on our Bird Café menu is our Dish of the Day. We used an old bowl & spoon, a packet of lard, bird seed, grapes, & sunflower seeds. We added 2 heaped tablespoons of soft lard to the bowl, & then mixed in the other ingredients... lots of messy fun! If you have any raisins, bruised apples or bananas, these can all be added to the mix too. There's no need to measure with this recipe; just add as much or as little as you have.
We added a spoon to the bowl, which not only looked quirky but also provided a neat perch for the birds to use. Our dish of the day was served up on a bird table in the corner of the garden, ready for our first feathered customer!
Next on the menu was our 'Nutty Roll' made from a tp roll, peanut butter/tahini, bird seed, & a length of string. We threaded the string through the tube to create a hanging loop, & then covered the tp roll in tahini. Ideally, peanut butter is the best option; we used tahini as I'd found an old jar lurking at the back of our cupboard! The kids then began covering the tube, rolling, patting & sprinkling over the seeds.
Once covered, we hung it on a nearby tree for the birds to enjoy!
As a side dish, we offered 'Pinecone Nibbles', which were made with, you've guessed it, pinecones! We started by tying string around the base of the cone. Then the kids had more fun, smearing peanut butter inside & around a pinecone & coating it with birdseed.
We made several of these as they loved coating the pinecones with the paste!
Our bird cafe was now open & ready for visitors, & it wasn't long before we spotted finches & blue tits enjoying our dishes.
What a great way to start the new year, caring for the wildlife in our outdoor space, & hopefully attracting a few more birds to our garden.
Happy New Year!
Looking for more bird-themed activities & crafts? You might like these:
