How to Make a Birdseed Ornament

Transform ordinary birdseed into festive treats for winter birds.

Winter is a tough time for birds that need to find food. Bare trees offer little of the resources birds usually find in them in warmer seasons, and snow sometimes covers the food that is left. In some regions, extreme cold hinders birds' ability to search out new food sources. As a result, birds often must rely at least partly on the kindness of humans to survive the winter. During winter holidays, creating birdseed ornaments provides a simple but festive way to assist our feathered friends.

Things You'll Need

• Sliced bread
• Cookie cutters
• Sharp stick or paring knife
• Egg white or peanut butter
• Birdseed
• Cookie sheet
• Oven
• Twine

Instructions

1. Cut a pattern out of one slice of bread with a cookie cutter. Any kind of bread is fine as long as it is presliced. Use the cookie cutter of your choice. If you are making the birdseed ornaments as a Christmas activity, appropriate choices might include reindeer, a snowman and so on. Try to use cutters that do not remove too much bread. For example, a wreath cookie cutter would cut out most of the bread, leaving less food for birds.

2. Poke a hole through the top of the freshly cut ornament with your sharp stick or lay the ornament on a flat surface. Cut the hole with a small paring knife.

3. Spread a thin layer of egg white on each side of the bread ornament, making sure to cover it as much as possible. Scatter birdseed across the egg white on one side and lightly press it down. Repeat the process on the other side if you prefer.

4. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the ornament on a cookie sheet. Bake the ornament for five minutes. If you would rather not use the oven, allow the bread ornament to dry overnight. The next day spread a thin covering of peanut butter instead of egg whites on the ornament. Scatter and press the seeds into the peanut butter.

5. Push twine through the hole at the top of the ornament and tie it into a loop. Hang the finished ornament on an outside tree or bush.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want to attract a variety of birds, use a birdseed mix instead of an individual type of seed. These bagged mixes contain a variety of seeds to attract different kinds of birds. Find the bagged mixes at most retail department stores or pet stores.

• If you placed the ornament in the oven, allow it to cool completely before adding the twine.

Resources

• Wild Wings Nature Store: Recipes for Birds
• Homemade Bird Food Recipes: By Susan Kelly
• West Sound Wildlife Center: Winter Foods: By Mike Pratt & Holiday Decorations for Wildlife