Natural Bird Feeders
Adding blueberry plants and other berry bearing plants will attract many feathered friends, because as you know they are natures own bird feeders.
Are Blueberries Safe For Animals?
Though many birds migrate south for the winter, there are still some around during the cooler months. Food is hard to find, especially when there is snow on the ground. By feeding birds near your dwelling, you can help them out and 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 texture that is barely sticky, but not crumbly. You can add a small amount of suet during cold weather when it will stay fairly hard. Try different amounts of ingredients, but the idea is to reduce 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, wrens 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 secured at the bottom with small nails to an existing bird feeder, or you can put a bottom on the cylinder (a board or a piece of hardware cloth will do) and hang it as you would the pine cone. If you like, 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.
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we use mixed nuts as bird seeds when we are feeding our pet birds~:”