After a long winter, our feathered friends are back and chirping loud. Enrich your garden and welcome the birdies with a place they can gather, feast and look out for your blooms. Create your own charming bird feeder to place in your yard or garden and watch them flock!
What you'll need:
- A greased Bundt pan
- A piece of twine or thin rope
- 1 cup of lard (pork fat)
- 1 cup of chunky peanut butter
- 3 cups of cornmeal ½ cup of flour
- 4 cups of birdseed
- 1 package of unflavored gelatin dissolved in a ½ cup of warm water
Directions:
- Mix together and melt the lard and the peanut butter
- Add cornmeal, flour, birdseed and gelatin/water to the mixture
- Stir all ingredients together and pour into greased Bundt pan
- Pack mixture down into the pan with the back of a spoon
- Refrigerate overnight
- Allow the wreath to return to room temperature and remove from pan
- Tie twine or rope through the hole and hang on a tree
- Watch the birds enjoy!
You can also create DIY feeders with recycled materials from around the house with these quick and easy ideas:
Tin Can Bird Feeder:
After cleaning out a tin can, paint and decorate it with your favorite colors. Fill the can about two-thirds full with bird seed. Tie a ribbon around the middle of the can and secure the end of the ribbon to a tree branch, allowing the can to hang horizontally.
Milk Carton Bird Feeder:
Clean out a recycled milk carton and, using an X-Acto' knife, cut a hole on one of the sides. Decorate however you please with paint, buttons and beads. After decorating, fill with birdseed and hang from a branch with wire or ribbon.
Egg Carton Bird Feeder:
Cut a recycled egg carton in half so you are left with six compartments that you can fill with bird seed. Next, punch a hole in each of the four corners, and tie a string through each. Once complete, gather the ends of each of the strings and tie together over a tree branch.
