How to Make Pinecone Bird Treats
Birds like a special treat now and then, and pinecone bird treats are something wild birds will enjoy while passing through your yard. This very easy bird feeder project is one even small children can help make. Pinecone bird treats are a messy, hands-on kind of project, so be prepared for a few dirty hands if you do this with a group of children or even by yourself.
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Things You'll Need
- Pinecones
- Washable plates
- Tablespoon or dinner knife
- Peanut butter
- Birdseed
- Shelled sunflower seeds
- Finely chopped nuts
- String or ribbon
Instructions
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1
Gather some pinecones from a nature walk or buy some at your local craft store. They usually sell them in bags. You can even ask friends or neighbors who have pinecones in their yards to save a bunch for you.
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2
Put a dinner-sized plate in front of you to work over. Take the spoon or dinner knife and begin to fill all the crevices and open areas of the pinecone with peanut butter. Make sure you get plenty in each area all over the surface of the pinecone. The peanut butter is not only edible for the birds, it also acts as a glue to hold all the loose food items on the pinecone, so you want to use plenty of peanut butter.
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3
Start sprinkling the birdseed, shelled sunflower seeds and finely chopped nuts onto the peanut butter you have spread all over the pinecone. Push it into the peanut butter so it sticks well. Don’t bury it in the peanut butter, though. You can also pour a mixture of the seeds and nuts on your work plate and simply roll the peanut butter-covered pinecone in the mixture. Either way you choose to do it, make sure the pinecone is covered with a lot of seeds and nuts.
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4
Tie a long string or ribbon to the top of the covered pinecone. Tie it to a branch of a tree or bush where the birds can come to enjoy the feast. Make a bunch of them and put them around your yard.
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Tips & Warnings
Make sure you place it high enough in the trees or bushes so that children and family pets can’t get to it and disturb the birds.
- Photo Credit Laurie Darroch-Meekis,Stephanna B-D-M
