How to Create a Pinecone Bird Feeder

Look around your yard or neighborhood. What kinds of items can be used for bird feeders? Do you see a pinecone? Pinecones make lovely feeders because they are capable of holding peanut butter and suet. Your pinecone bird feeder will attract chickadees, nuthatches, titmice, and woodpeckers.

Here is what you’ll need:

1. Pinecones
2. Thin wire or twine
3. Cookie sheet or waxed paper
4. Peanut butter
5. Cornmeal
6. Tablespoon
7. Butter Knife
8. Sheperd’s crooks or nails (optional)

Steps to creating a Pinecone bird feeder:

1. Wrap your wire around each of the pinecones you have collected from your yard. You will need to slip the wire under the second or third tier of scales from the stem end (your pinecone will be hanging upside down). Once you have wrapped the wire around the scales, you will need to knot the wire to make sure it is secure. Allow approximately 6 to 12 inches of slack for hanging.
2. Place the pinecone on the cookie sheet or wax paper. This allows for easy clean up!
3. Mix equal amounts of peanut butter and cornmeal together. Do this until it looks well blended. Then use your tablespoon to spread the peanut butter/cornmeal mixture on each pinecone. Make sure to allow one or two small sections of the cone to remain free of the mixture. This free space will give your bird visitors a perching area. Use the knife to push the mixture deep between the scales of the pinecone.
4. Lastly, hang your pinecone bird feeder from a sheperd’s crook or low tree branch.

Bird’s will love this one! Not only will they love the bird food, but you have created a feeder that blends well into their natural habitat. This bird feeder project is also lots of fun to share with your children. They can hunt for the perfect pinecone, help create your peanut butter mixture, and enjoy watching the birds who are attracted to this feeder.

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Source: Projects for the Birder’s Garden.

How to Create a Simple Woodpecker Feeder

This is my kind of birding project… it’s not rocket science, it’s simple, and quick!

Whenever building a feeder at home it is usually beneficial to mimic the natural habitat of the bird you are attempting to attract to the birdfeeder. It therefore becomes important to learn how a woodpecker typically feeds in the wild. Woodpeckers are considered “clinging” birds – they have clawed toes that point in opposite directions which gives them the ability to cling and walk vertically up a tree trunk. Woodpeckers perch vertically to forage for food in trees which is exactly why we are going to hang our feeder vertically on a nearby tree.

Steps to Building a Woodpecker Feeder:

1. Obtain a rectangular cedar shingle. Cedar is best because it is thin and sturdy.
2. Purchase chunky peanut butter.
3. Since peanut butter is high in oil – you many want to wrap the back of the cedar shingle with aluminum foil to prevent the peanut oil from seeping all the way through the shingle.
4. Simply nail the shingle to a vertical support. This support can be an arbor post or a feeder mounting post. The shingle should be nailed as high as you can reach without using a ladder.
5. Spread your chunky peanut butter near the top of the shingle so the woodpeckers have room to grip without smearing the peanut butter on their feet or tails.
6. That’s it!

Keep in mind, woodpeckers will not be the only interested parties. Other clinging birds such as nuthatches, titmice, and chickadees will probably partake as well.

Happy Feeding!!