Looking after your gardens birds
As the winter closes in it gets harder for your local wildlife to find food.
You garden is winding down for winter loosing leaves, berries, and flowers. Birds can really struggle at this time of year so its great idea to help them along and keep them coming into your garden or green space.
Making home made bird feeders is a quick and easy job that can be done by anyone, kids love it!
Ingredients (not a definitive list and it can be changed to suit what you have)
Lard
Bird Seed
Raisins
Meal Worms
Bread
You will also need – sticks, mould to shape your feeder, string, scissors, pan for heating the lard.
First collect some sticks, bird seed, lard and find a container to mould you bird food. This is also a great way to recycle using old plastic pots to mould your bird seed with and any leftover bread and raisins from the store cupboard.#
Make a hole in the bottom of your mould (see re used coleslaw pot in the pics) and thread through the string. Best make it a long piece for securing sticks and securing it in the garden later.
Heat the lard in a pan – make sure it’s a low heat.
When the lard is melted add the seed/bread/meal worms/raisins etc
Mix together
Put the mixture into the mould, making sure the string is still going all the way through
Leave to cool and set
While waiting, bind your sticks together with some more string. Make sure that the sticks are evenly spaced and will protrude out from under the bird food so that birds can perch successfully.
Connect the sticks to the bottom of your set bird feed.
Make sure it is secure
Put your finished bird feeder into your garden- make sure its securely tied to a stout branch.
Sit back and enjoy the birds coming to feed.
You can even get the kids involved – An easy no cook bird feeder
You will need string, cheerio’s (or similar circular shaped cereal).
Knot the end of a piece of string
Get the kids to thread the cereal along the string until its 3/4 full
Knot the top and create a loop
Get the kids to hang in your garden.
