Although anytime is the perfect time to make homemade pine cone bird feeders, I wanted to make sure I provided my black-capped chickadees with festive treats for the holidays. Making pine cone feeders is an easy-to-make and inexpensive project to add an exciting and new way to feed your bird visitors in your yard. These feeders can even be custom-made and many different species of birds will eagerly visit for a tasty treat.
Choosing Pine Cones
When choosing your pine cones, make sure to choose cones that have fallen naturally. The birds will find these to be more familiar. Also, do not use any kind of unnaturally scented pine cones or any decorative cones, as these unnatural materials can be harmful to birds. Your pines cones should also be of a larger and broad variety because they will hold more food easier and the birds will find these unchallenging to cling to. Larger cones will also sway less while hanging. We have an abundance of eastern white pines and I have been collecting their fallen cones for some time and these worked perfectly for this activity.
The Supplies That You’ll Need
Only basic tools are needed to make these types of feeders such as a butter knife or spreader and a shallow dish or pie plate, a small bowl, and scissors.
In addition to pine cones, you will need a few other everyday materials:
String or twine: A piece eight to ten inches long is optimal, but it can be longer for hanging if you prefer. Yarn or ribbon is another good option and can add a burst of vibrant color to the feeding area. I chose to use holiday-colored ribbon for a more festive look. Please make sure to avoid fishing line, dental floss, or other very thin threads that could possibly create dangerous tangle hazards for the birds.
Peanut butter: Any brand of smooth or crunchy peanut butter can be used. You can also use other nut kinds of butter, such as almond or hazelnut, but please avoid sugar-free varieties as they don’t offer any beneficial sources of energy. Other suitable materials such as suet, vegetable shortening, or lard can be used as well.
Birdseed: A great option to use is mixed birdseed for these feeders or black oil sunflower seed works well, too. Pieces of nuts or small bits of fruit can also be added and will help to attract more species of birds to the feeders. Choose the best seed that will best appeal to your specific backyard birds. I used both a mixed blend and black sunflower seeds.
Simple Instructions
Here are a few simple steps for how to turn your pine cones into attractive and delicious bird feeders:
1. Make Sure to Remove Dirt & Debris
In order to remove any dirt or debris, tap, shake or brush the pine cone lightly. Trim off any loose parts that may break as the feeder is assembled. If the scales are tightly packed, you can remove a few and this will allow you to make more room for food.
2. Tie the String Around the Pine Cone
Tie the string or twine around the cone, placing it in two to three rows of scales below the wider end of the cone with the scales overlapping the string to hold it securely in place. As I mentioned, I used holiday ribbon and I was able to use a single knot around the top of the eastern white pine cones and this worked, too. The top of the string can be left open in order to tie it to a branch for hanging, or if it is long enough, the loop can be tied first. I also used an ornament hook at the end for easy hanging from branches. Feel free to use whatever option works best for you.
3. Coat the Cone with Peanut Butter
With the knife or spreader go ahead and coat the cone with a layer of peanut butter, as thick or thin as you wish. Press some peanut butter between the rows of scales, filling in larger gaps. If you find that the peanut butter is too thick to spread well, it can be warmed up slightly to make it softer, but be sure to use a microwave-safe bowl to heat it. Avoid overheating because this will make the peanut butter much too runny to adhere to the cone.
4. Roll the Cone in Birdseed
Adding birdseed is an optional step and isn’t necessary to make a tasty and attractive bird feeder. Many birds will happily eat peanut butter alone, even without the added seed. You can also use softened suet to spread on the pine cone for a treat and no extra seed is required.
Once you have completely coated the cone with peanut butter, roll it in the birdseed in the shallow dish, pressing lightly to ensure the seed has adhered to the cone. Work the seed in between the rows of scales. If desired, you can add larger seeds, nut pieces, or fruit pieces, pressing them firmly into the peanut butter in order to make sure they are secure. The birds will have no trouble removing them as they are experts!
5. Hanging Your Feeder(s)
Hang the pine cone bird feeder from a branch or hook it in trees or bushes for birds to find it easily, or even string several together for a longer feeder to feed more birds. Because of its high-fat content, this is a perfect feeder to offer your winter birds for a beneficial source of energy, especially during the colder months.
These are great for decorating Christmas trees for birds with both natural and edible ornaments. I would recommend hanging these a couple of weeks before the holidays and your birds will get used to them. Sometimes birds will take some time to warm up to new foods or feeders. No worries though, once they discover these delicious treats, they will enjoy them very much!
This is a simple feeder that can be hung almost anywhere, but it will do best in a cool, shaded area or else it may grow soft or even melt. In higher temperatures and humid areas, the peanut butter may start to go rancid and will be less attractive to birds.
I have been hand-feeding the black-capped chickadees as well as red-breasted nuthatches and white-breasted nuthatches in my yard for a while now. As I was carrying these pine cone feeders out to the woods for hanging, my black-capped chickadees couldn’t wait for me to hang them up and started enjoying their new treats straight from the glass dish that I was carrying them in. Such characters! When I finally hung them up from the trees, they were very eager to feed from their new pine cone feeders. I found that a few of them wanted to perch on branches while taking the seeds and peanut butter, so I moved them around about a bit and settled on a couple of different areas of the property. Find what works best for you and your feathered friends and enjoy.
Also, if you would like to make several of these feeders and don’t want to use all of them at once, you can keep them frozen for several weeks. There is no need to thaw them before hanging. This will help in keeping them to stay fresh and firm during the warmer months.
Before you know it, your new feeders will provide a popular spot for all types of birds such as chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, crossbills, woodpeckers as well as other birds. These feeders are easy to make and your yard will be a favorite place for birds to come with their appetites and much enthusiasm!
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