DIY Bird Feeder
Attract birds to your garden by building your own bird feeder.
Supplies
- Toilet paper roll
- Peanut Butter (Alternatives: almond butter or sunflower butter)
- Butter knife or popsicle stick
- Paper plate
- Bird Seed - Don’t have bird seed available? You can also use items from your pantry (see additional supplies list)
- String
Additional supplies if using pantry items
- Unsalted nuts (like peanuts, almonds, walnuts, or pecans) or unsalted seeds (like sunflower or pumpkin seeds)
- Cutting board
- Knife [Parents should help young children with this step in the instructions]
Instructions
1. Take an empty toilet paper roll and remove any excess paper.
2. Using a butter knife, spread peanut butter on the outside of the toilet paper roll until fully covered.
3. USING BIRD SEED: Place a good amount of bird seed on a flat plate, roll the toilet paper roll over the bird seed until the peanut butter is fully covered.
USING PANTRY ITEMS [Parents should help young children with this step]: If you have any unsalted nuts or seeds in your pantry, use a cutting board and knife to chop the nuts or seeds into small pieces. Once chopped, place the nuts or seeds onto a plate and roll the toilet paper roll over the nuts or seeds until the peanut butter is fully covered.
4. Thread a piece of string through the toilet paper roll and tie a knot.
5. Hang outside where the birds can enjoy!
Bonus Bird Feeding Tips
- Do you have any fruit that’s too ripe? Birds may enjoy fruit as a snack! Popular fruits include: apples (without the seeds only), cherries, plums, oranges, grapes, blueberries, raisins, and prickly pear. Fruits can be cut up into pieces and placed into a bowl.
- Our scraps can be food for birds! Leftover seeds from squash and melons can be fed to birds raw, along with ripe fruit, as a treat.
- Don’t know what to do with leftover eggshells? Eggshells are a great source of calcium, especially for female birds during nesting season. Be sure to wash and bake the eggshells to remove any bacteria. After they are baked, crush the shells and sprinkle onto the ground or over fruit.
