DIY Birdfeeder
Overview
Build a pinecone birdfeeder for your yard.
Introduction
Add a feeding station to your yard by building a simple pinecone birdfeeder. For interesting information about the physiology of pinecones, check out this article from Scientific American.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/unlocking-the-secrets-of-the-pinecone/
Supplies
For this project, we will be making a simple bird feeder out of:
-pinecones
-string
-peanut butter
-birdseed
If you do not have birdseed, birds will still eat just peanut butter. You can also use raw oats (non-sweetened oatmeal) instead.
When gathering pinecones, don’t be afraid to keep all different shapes/sizes you find. When the weather is wet/cold, a pinecone shrivels up to protect the pine seeds inside of the pinecone. When the weather is warm and dry, the pinecone will open so that it can plant the pine seeds in ideal weather conditions. If your pinecones are closed, give it a few days in a dry environment and you will see them open!
Assembly
1) Put down some old newspaper to help keep your workspace clean. Cut your string to desired length. Make sure that wherever you put your birdfeeder, it is not easily accessible by squirrels (they will love this treat too).
2) Pour 1-2 cups of bird seed into a bowl or old plastic food container.
3) Measure 1-2 cups of peanut butter in a separate bowl.
4) Leaving a little room at the top (narrowest part of pinecone), use a spoon or your hands to cover the pinecone in peanut butter. You want to try and get a little peanut butter into all of the open ‘scales’ of the pinecone.
5) After the entire pinecone is covered in peanut butter, you will move to the bowl with bird seed and rotate the pinecone in the birdseed until it is covered. Keep pressing the pinecone on all sides into the birdseed until no more seeds will stick to it.
6) Using the string, make a little loop of string at the very top of the pinecone (the narrowest part). Tie a knot on the top so that the pinecone will be held up by the string. Tie the other ends of the string to each other so that you have one large string loop with the pinecone sitting at the bottom.