Bird Buffet
Way back in week one we talked about how we can help the bee populations in our own gardens. This week we’re still thinking about some of our other friends who fly – birds! There are lots of ways to help out native birds, and one easy way to give them a boost is by helping them find food more easily when the weather starts to get colder.
In late autumn and winter, hanging a bird feeder in your garden can be a great way to help all kinds of birds get a nutritional boost without having to fly too far away from their homes. Just make sure you keep an eye on if the food you provide needs a top-up; the birds are likely to keep coming back if they think they can rely on what you provide.
You can find a lot more information on how to care for birds from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
For this project you will need:
- a milk carton
- string
- scissors (an Exact-o knife or box cutter work well but aren’t necessary)
- decorative materials
- bird seed / appropriate bird food
Helpful tips-
- Cut the opening of your bird feeder on the side opposite to the carton handle. This allows the feeder to balance itself naturally and you won’t need to do any fancy string work to get it to hang properly in a tree.
- Make sure you have plenty of room at the bottom of the feeder opening to keep the seed in. Don’t overfill it or it will spill and could attract unwanted visitors.
- It could take several days to two weeks for the birds to visit it regularly.
Watch our very short video to follow along as Ashley makes a bird feeder. This is a great starting off point for a simple structure – feel free to improve, alter, and engineer a bigger, better feeder if you feel inspired to!
Leave a Reply