Though many birds migrate south for the winter, there are still some staying around during the cold months. Food is hard to find, especially when there is snow on the ground. By feeding birds near your home, you can help them out and really enjoy the benefits of their presence as well. Birds are great entertainers for winter months when you’re tired of television. And in the spring and summer, they’ll return your favors by eating the grubs and insects in your lawn and garden. Remember, if you start feeding birds, you should do so all winter. They’ll become dependent on your feeder in time.

Here are a couple of ideas for easy-to-make & unique bird feeders. You need:

a large pine cone
about 2 feet of thin, stiff wire
peanut butter
corn meal
suet (optional)
bird seed (optional)

Run the thin wire through the top of the pine cone and secure it well (string can be used unless you have squirrels, who can lift the pine cone with the string).

“Magic Mix” – Mix peanut butter and corn meal to a consistency that is just sticky, but not crumbly. You can add a tiny amount of suet during cool weather when it will stay fairly hard. Experiment with the amounts of ingredients, but the idea is to eliminate the amount of (expensive!) peanut butter yet leave the mixture gooey enough to stick to the cone. Bird seed can also be added to the mixture but is not necessary. Press the mixture well into the “shelves” of the cone, filling it as full as possible.

Fasten the cone to a tree branch or clothesline so that it hangs 1 to 1-1/2 feet down from the branch and away from the trunk or pole. Then wait for chickadees and other small birds to find your treasure! (Larger birds like blue jays and grackles will be too heavy for the feeder.)

If you don’t have pine cones, you can purchase a small amount of 1/4-inch mesh hardware cloth (the small mesh keeps large beaks out). Make a cylinder of the cloth about 6 inches long and 2 inches in diameter.

This can be fastened at the bottom with small nails to an existing bird feeder, or you can put a firm bottom on the cylinder (a board or a piece of hardware cloth will do) and hang it as you would the pine cone. If needed cover the cylinder with a small pie pan and fasten it down. Fill the cylinder about 2/3 of the way with “Magic Mix.” You might be lucky enough to attract the Carolina wren, which can’t cling to a pine cone, but will really enjoy your peanut butter treat.

By taking the little time it takes to construct one of these hanging bird feeders, you’ll find you get an endless amount of enjoyment watching our feathered friends, & you’ll likely find yourself building more specialized types, such as oriole bird feeders etc.