The spirit of the season doesn’t have to be kept among humans. Make some holiday treats for the birds. They’ll add a touch of whimsy and holiday spirit to the yard and provide the family with colorful feathered friends to observe.
Cranberry and Popcorn Garland
A fun and decorative holiday bird treat is a popcorn and cranberry string. It looks great and can be easily wound around a tree like a garland.
Materials:
- String
- Needle
- Cranberries
- Unsalted, Unbuttered Popcorn
Use the needle to thread the berries and popcorn along the string. Use different patterns like 10 popcorn and one cranberry, or 3 berries and 5 popcorn etc. The whole family can spend an evening working on this project. Then they can watch their decoration being enjoyed by the birds outside. Be sure to throw away the string when it’s empty!
Gingerbread Bird House
Materials:
- Wooden Bird House
- Peanut Butter (or other bird safe material for glue)
- Bird Food
Use the peanut butter or other “glue” to attach the bird treats to the house like using icing on a gingerbread house. Be creative with the bird treats, not just seeds but nuts, berries, and things from pet stores like millet and cuttlebones. After the house is decorated with bird snacks, hang it outside and watch the birds flock to it. One of them may even decide to come back and nest there in the spring!
Hanging Bird Ornaments
A Christmas tree outside doesn’t have to just have a cranberry garland and a birdhouse, it can also have ornaments!
Materials:
- Styrofoam Balls, different sizes
- Peanut Butter or other bird safe edible “glue”
- Bird Seed
- Long Needle
- Dowel
- Sturdy Twine
Thread the twine all the way through the ball. Make a loop to hang it on one end and knot the other to hold up the ball. Coat the ball in peanut butter and roll it in the seed to cover it. Poke the dowel all the way through to create a bird perch. Hang the edible ornament outside in a tree where birds can enjoy it and the family can observe them.
Holiday Themed Birdbath
Cold winters can make it hard for birds to find water. In addition to providing edible decorations a fresh water supply will guarantee some visiting birds. A birdbath doesn’t have to be anything fancy, it can just be a terra cotta dish on a table. The important thing is to make sure it doesn’t freeze. This can be done either by including a fountain to keep the water flowing or by going out every day and adding hot fresh water and breaking ice.
Materials:
- Birdbath – this can be fancy or a large flower pot base to set on a table
- Evergreen Garland
- Other Decorations if Desired
Set up the birdbath and surround the bath part with the garland. This will not only provide a perching place for birds, it will also block wind if it comes up higher than the edge and it will keep the birdbath just a bit warmer.
The birdbath can be left simple like this, or embellished with other decorations. Holiday themed figures like ice skating mice or birds with scarves and hats can be posed on the birdbath. Instead of a garland a scarf could be tied around the bath. A cranberry and popcorn garland could be wound around the evergreen one to provide food right by the water or birdseed ornaments could be hung from the birdbath. The possibilities are endless.
Using one or all of these holiday crafts will be sure to attract countless birds to the yard and spread a bit of holiday cheer to them as well.
