Make an Easy Basket Bird Feeder

The snow was falling hard and fast.  Accumulations were predicted to reach an inch per hour, if not more.  Apparently my birds knew about this ahead of time, because there were dozens of them lining the tree branches awaiting their turn at the feeders.

I needed to add another place for them to eat, but I had no more feeders handy.  Keep in mind that there are 8 more feeders in other parts of my yard that were also filled with woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, blue jays, juncos and more finches, among others!

Scratching my head, I finally came up with a solution that I had stashed in my sunroom—an old basket with a long handle, and not too deep.  The perfect bird feeder because it was rather loosely woven, and provided plenty of holes for drainage.

But the holes in the basket were obviously way too big to keep my bird seed from falling through.  Aha!  Also in my sunroom was an aluminum pie pan I had used under a large pot at one time.  I washed the pie pan thoroughly and dried it so that the seeds would not mold.  The pie pan needed drainage holes, so I hunted up my trusty hammer and a small nail.  I punched several holes in the aluminum pan, and filled the bottom with black oil sunflower seeds and a little bit of fruit and nut seed mixture.

I looped a flexible piece of wire under the handle and up through the hole in a weather shield I had used before for other open bird feeders.  That shield works very well to keep snow and rain from soaking the seeds.  Then I finished the loop over my clothesline.  If I had had another bird feeder pole, I would have used that instead, but the clothesline was very handy and easy to see from my living room window.

An alternative to the weather shield might be another larger aluminum pie pan with a hole punched in the middle, or even an old aluminum pizza pan.  Anything that will keep the seeds dry so the birds can enjoy them will work.

I was very pleased to see some of my goldfinches taking advantage of their new food source.  I have even had woodpeckers jump in for a seed or nut and then take off to the nearest tree with its treat.  I spent a lot of time that day watching my birds out the window.  There were breaks in the snowfall at times, but it snowed heavily other times.  The birds didn’t seem to mind, and continued to visit all the feeders.  It tickled me to see that I had provided yet another good spot for them to eat.

So if you have a basket, an aluminum pie plate, hammer, nail, pizza pan and a bit of wire, you have the makings for a fun bird feeder!

Enjoy!

Grandma Pearl

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Five Ways to Keep Predators Away From Baby Birds

Vulnerable robin's nest in an oak tree.
by Grandma Pearl

Nature can be harsh, especially when it comes to wild babies.  Newly laid eggs, nestlings and fledglings are particularly at risk because they are favorites of predators like other birds, raccoons, squirrels, feral cats, etc.  But you can give them a safer environment and a better chance at survival using the following easy solutions. 

*Remember not to use toxic chemicals in your environment.  They harm all life, including humans; plus they find their way into our water sources.  If you attract birds, you will not need poisons to be rid of insect pests.  But if you still feel you need to control the bug population, choose organic and non-toxic options.
  
1.  Make a bird nesting basket to camouflage and thus hide the baby birds.  Click here for the 5 easy steps.

Make a bird nesting basket using my 5 easy steps.
by Grandma Pearl

2.  Plant a briar patch.  You'd be surprised how many birds are attracted to thorny berry plants.  In addition to being a great food source, the sharp tangles discourage even the most persistent predator.  It doesn't have to be a large patch to make a huge difference.  Find out more here.

Briar patches don't need to be large to help birds.
by Grandma Pearl

3.  Climbing Rose Bushes offer another type of shelter with built-in predator resistance.  Not only that, but these bushes are home to bugs relished by backyard birds.  Cardinals are especially fond of nesting in rose bushes.  Choose rose varieties that produce rose hips, and you will also be feeding birds all winter long.  Rose hips provide much needed nutrients not otherwise available during the wintertime.  Create Safe Bird Habitats With Climbing Roses  

Robin Hood Climbing Rose creates a dense tangle of thorny branches just right for hiding bird nests and baby birds
by Grandma Pearl

4.  Dense vines make excellent nesting sites for birds.  Tangled vines are easily accessible by birds, but are a natural deterrent for the predators that would make easy pickins' out of birds' eggs and bird babies.  See which vines work the best here. 

Wild grape vines will quickly grow to shelter bird nests in the future.
by Grandma Pearl

5.  Mount your birds houses right on your own house.  Birds like hawks don't like to venture too close to human habitats.  Other predators find it hard to reach the baby birds when the nest box is installed on a high vertical surface.  Install them on the non-windy side, and under an overhang if possible.  See how I used a climbing hydrangea vine to surround one of my bird houses here.  

bird house mounted on my house in my hydrangea vine
by Grandma Pearl

Grandma Pearl

How to Make a Holiday Bird Feeder Wreath and Stop Window Collisions

Chickadees enjoy grabbing seeds from these mesh feeders.
Photo by Grandma Pearl

Here's a Fun Project that will keep your birds from colliding with your windows, while you enjoy watching their antics!

Have you ever heard that heart-sinking ‘thud’ against your window; and you know immediately that one of your beautiful birds has met with a terrible fate?  Here’s a beautiful and easy idea to keep this from happening again.

Items you will need to make this easy bird feeder wreath.
Photo by Grandma Pearl

• What you will need:

·         Scroll-type or other planter hanger installed on or above your outside window frame.     
·         Large grapevine or other wreath form—at least 24 inches across
·         A thickness of newspaper to cushion and protect your work surface
·         Wire cutters if working with silk flowers
·         Gloves
·         ‘S’ hook or flexible wire for making a hanging loop
·         Seasonal floral stems, or real holly or other evergreen branches
·         Seed ball, metal mesh, approx. 6” diameter, or other small bird feeder that can be hung inside the wreath   (I found mine at Amazon.com--click here)

Make sure your plant/wreath hanger is long enough to accommodate the thickness of your wreath plus the hanging bird feeder, so that birds have room to easily access the feeder.

How to Make a Seasonal Bird Feeder Wreath, Step by Step:

1.     1.         Lay thickness of newspapers on a flat work surface.  (Hint:  If you can do this outside, you will have a lot less cleanup to do!)
2.       Test fit your wreath to see which way you want it to hang.  Sometimes wreaths can be a little out of round or less full in one spot or another.  Fitting prior to working with it will prevent the ‘I wishes’;  ‘I wish I had put the hanger in another spot’, or ‘I wish the fullest part of the wreath had been on the bottom’, etc.
3.       Attach your ‘S’ hook through the desired spot on your wreath.  If you are using grapevine, make sure the hook is placed so that it will not slide around. 

         a.       If you are using wire to make your own hanging loop, measure approximately 8 inches of wire and snip with wire cutters.  Feed wire through the top of your wreath and twist the ends together to secure the loop.  Hide the twisted ends inside the wreath, if desired.
4.       If you purchased floral stems in a ‘bush’ or garland,  use your wire cutters to detach each stem from the bush as illustrated.  Garlands of holly and pine cones or poinsettias can be cut apart for use in this type of wreath.  Be sure to leave a long enough length to weave securely into the wreath form.
5.       I have holly bushes growing in my yard, so that is what I used.   If you have evergreen shrubs that you wish to incorporate into your wreath, cut the stems to lengths of 8” to 12” for a more natural look and ease of positioning into your form.
  

I have holly bushes, but you can add any real evergreens, or artificial floral stems you wish.
Photo by Grandma Pearl

6.        Envision a triangle overlaid on top of your wreath.  Start adding your stems at one of the 3 points of that virtual triangle.  Then go to the next point and then the third.  Fill in between those areas with more stems.  You can make your wreath as full or as sparse as you want—you are the designer and you cannot mess it up!
7.       When you are happy with the look of your creation, hang your bird feeder from the top inside of the wreath.

 

Finished Bird Feeder Wreath
Photo by Grandma Pearl

Other feeders that would work well with this window wreath:

• Cedar log suet/peanut butter feeder
• Hanging suet cage feeder
• Hanging bird seed bell
• Peanut butter/birdseed covered pine cones  ( Click Here for instructions)
• Homemade popcorn ball*   easy recipe from food.com:  

* Hint:  Add a hanging loop of thin jute twine as you form the popcorn balls, and before they harden.  
   

 I have enjoyed watching my birds from the comfort and warmth of my livingroom.  They visit these feeder wreaths regularly, and put on an interesting show.  My most frequent visitors are the chickadees and small woodpeckers.

The floral stems you use can be changed out seasonally, or for different holidays.  Either way, your birds will benefit greatly.

It is important to note that you will be refilling your bird feeder on a regular basis.   So make sure your wreath can be easily accessed to replenish seeds or any other nutritious foods you are offering to your birds.

After hanging my wreaths, it took my birds about a day to find them.  Since then, they have been regular visitors.  And the most important part:  NO BIRDS HAVE FLOWN INTO MY WINDOWS SINCE I HUNG UP MY BIRD FEEDER WREATHS!

Enjoy!

Grandma Pearl

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