Winter bird feeders are an outstanding way to discover what local animals are in your neighborhood. This DIY bird feeder project is easy, effective, and a great way to connect outdoor learning with your day to day life.
Notice how fluffing up allows this bird to stay warm, similar to our modern coats.
Bird feeders for winter
What is the best bird feeder for winter? For that matter should you even use a bird feeder during the winter? You can find a host of different styles of winter bird feeders just by typing in the words “bird feeders LOWES” on any search engine. In truth, the most effective are actually home-made bird feeders and you should absolutely use them during the cold season, too. This project is an amazing opportunity to spend some time with your young adventurers and open their eyes to some of the amazing creatures that live in their own yards.
Do winter bird feeders work?
It is true that winter can be a hard time for outdoor creatures. For one thing, it is harder to find food sources, especially if you thrive on nuts and berries. For another, many of the water sources are either dried up or frozen. This is part of why winter becomes so quiet and why we see some animals migrate or others hibernate, but we must remember that there are many animals and birds that do not do either. Even though this is a quieter time of year it is still a great time of year to see other animals. You can still see and hear birds and squirrels in action. You can more easily see tracks of such animals as rabbits and foxes. This is because many species do not migrate to warmer climates or hibernate. The key is that they have a food source, water source, and shelter site. Just like our main form of shelter is our clothing, certain birds and animals can thicken or fluff their fur or feathers. Many birds can stay warm enough to survive the winter just by fluffing up their feathers and building nests. It is actually rather amazing that they use the same principles of creating dead air space that we use in some of our high-tech winter gear.
Birds are going to be hungry during the winter months, so are squirrels, foxes and rabbits. They may have a difficult time finding food to eat, so this makes it a great way to control when and where you see them. Knowing when and where to see local critters is a great way to learn about their habits. You can place out food like orange wedges, bird feeders, rabbit feeders, and so on. You just have to get a little creative and do a little research on what is most enticing to any animals you hope to see.
Supplying enticing food to a certain area increases the likelihood of seeing some of the more elusive wildlife that has been sneaking snacks from your trash.
DIY homemade bird feeders
One of the most effective homemade bird feeders for winter I have found is the simple pine cone bird feeder. Let’s take a look at how to make a pine cone bird feeder:
1. Collect some open pine cones while out on another adventure. This can be a great way to motivate little adventurers on a hike, pass time on a camping trip, or even get them to explore the area around their local park or back yard. You are looking for open pine cones, not closed ones.
2. Mix together a few enticing natural ingredients. Mix in things like unsalted nuts, raisins, peanut butter, corn meal, or oatmeal. Any seeds or dried fruits go over with a host of animals. Remember in our article (about tracks and poop) how we noticed berries in fox poop?
Dried fruits are popular with almost all wild animals.
It is best practice to use unsalted nuts.
Natural peanut butter is runny and easy to work with. If it is too messy, mix in some corn meal.
3. Mix these items up into a paste, making sure to have a binding agent like peanut butter to hold it all together, then smooth this mixture into the pine cone. You can also spread the peanut butter on to the pine cone and then place on your dried fruit before rolling it in your nut mixture.
Allow peanut butter to run into the pine cone. It is a good idea to use some type of drop cloth with these steps.
Place your dried fruit on before you roll in your nut mixture. This will cause critters to take longer to get to the yummy sweets, and lead to better pictures.
Using a larger container for your mixed nuts allows you to roll the pine cone bird feeder and get maximum treats loaded up.
4. This pine cone bird feeder can be hung using paper clips, loops of string, Christmas ornament hangers, or it can just be balanced on a branch or in the feeding area. I say feeding area because this changes what type of feeder it is simply by where you put it. Up in a tree it is a squirrel or bird feeder, on the ground next to some bushes it may be a fox or rabbit feeder.
Finding essential fats, proteins, fruits and sugars is part of the battle for survival for all winter animals. This treat is a far step up from the road kill or trash that many city critters use to make it through the cold months.
Where to put your homemade bird feeder
1. Picking the location for you bird feeder actually begins inside your house. Pick a window that is easily accessible and that adventurers can safely look out. Perhaps there is a window close to a couch they are allowed to climb on, or a window by the sink that can have a step stool left close by. Maybe their bed is close to a window or find windows low enough they can see through without standing on anything.
Checking your DIY bird feeder will likely become part of your adventurers normal routine. It is a good idea to pick a window that is easily accessible to adventurers of all sizes.
2. Once you have found a window that is ideal for bird watching, look through it. You are looking for trees, fence posts, bushes, or anything else that is easily seen from your chosen window. These will be the sights for your DIY bird feeders.
Look through your chosen window and choose easy to see areas as sites for your pine cone bird feeders.
3. It is a great idea to leave a set of binoculars by your chosen window. Cameras, crayons, and notebooks are also great additions. Bird identification books are great, but consider taking a picture and enjoying the action while the critters are there to observe. There will be plenty of time for looking up critters in between visits. Here is a great resource if you prefer to look your visitors up online: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/.
4. Once you have picked a window and tree, head outside. Pick areas to hang your feeders that offer protection to the birds. Birds, and other critters, will be more likely to trust these treats if they are protected from elements and predators. Also, pick branches that have areas to perch on.
If you have multiple adventurers consider using different colored hangers to keep track of what birds like what type of foods and set up.
Change areas to see if certain types of critters are more likely to approve of certain areas. You can also make a game of who “catches” the most critters.
Children are never to young to start building bonds with outdoor adventuring. Simple projects like this can be a secret weapon in getting kiddos and adults outside.
5. Pick a height. Birds and squirrels will find your feeders at most any heights, but remember there are many other critters out there. For example, if you occasionally see a fox in the neighborhood then put some feeders down low.
Different heights will be more accessible to different species. As long as you change it regularly and prevent freezing, water is a great addition to your bird feeders.
Some species will like to be in the open, other will prefer to be fairly hidden in dense trees or bushes. Always make sure to leave an area for birds to perch and mammals to crouch.
Watching how wild animals adapt to changes in weather is a great way to introduce safety and survival to young adventurers.
Morning cereal can be more enjoyable while watching foxes play with a pine cone, dishes don’t seem so bad if you watch colorful birds through the kitchen window, or squirrels playing tag. Notice these are all areas in your yard. We don’t want to feed the animals out in the woods as it can be dangerous for them and humans alike. In our backyards we are giving them a safer and cleaner alternative to the trash cans they are likely already digging through. Make sure to keep some distance while watching your new friends. I live in bear country, so I have loads of these around my house, but none around my camp site…that could be bad!
Other DIY bird feeder ideas
If you do not want to go the peanut butter mixture route, perhaps there is an allergy concern or it’s just too messy, consider just making a few kabobs. Take things like orange or apple slices, and skewer them onto a sturdy stick. The end result should look kind of like a shishkabob. Place this food kabob into junctions on trees or stuck in the ground around bushes or thick areas of evergreens.
The goal is to safely offer healthy food to birds and other critters, but in a fashion that slows them down just long enough for you to observe them. This means that your options are only limited by your imagination. As long as they can not just fly away with the treats you will get hours of enjoyable watching.
These critter feeders will lead to loads of questions. It is ok if you do not know the answers, just jot them down and follow up later. There are a great many useful identification books on the market and many valuable resources online, too. Here is an interesting article that may help you pick the correct bird book for your area and adventurers: https://www.audubon.org/news/six-kid-friendly-bird-guides.
Once everything is in place we just have to wait. Depending on the animals in the area, you may see birds and animals that day. Other times it may take a week or two. Either way, get your camera and sketchbook ready because you are about to see all the abundant wildlife that lives in your area during the winter. Remember there is no such thing as a small adventure. I hope you will share some of your pictures and stories with us by sending an email to contact@readysetadventurebox.com. Stay safe out there, see you on the adventure trail.