Christmas is for the birds or at least it should be when it
comes to treats. With all the holiday goodies popping up in offices and homes
everywhere this time of year, our feathered friends in the garden certainly
deserve their fair share.
I’ve always wanted to make holiday treats for the wild birds
and finally got my act together this past weekend. After all, I live in a
subdivision where all the streets are named for birds. What could possibly
be a more appropriate way to celebrate the season?
The treats I recently made are described below. Several are suitable for children while others, such as the edible
bird seed ornaments, definitely require parental guidance.
Orange cups
Cut oranges in half and scoop out the middle. Poke four evenly
spaced holes around the edge of the
orange using a wooden or metal skewer. Cut yarn or string in 12" pieces. Poke the string through each hole and tie it so the string doesn’t slip out. Repeat with the remaining holes. Knot the top ends together. Fill with
bird seed and hang on the tree.
These are especially colorful although the process can be a bit messy. You may want to do these near a sink or on some towels. I used red cotton/hemp string to make it a bit more colorful.
Bagel feeder
Cut one stale bagel in half.
Mix together 2 teaspoons of peanut butter and 2 teaspoons of shortening.
Spread the mixture on each bagel half. Pour bird seed on a plate. Press each
bagel half, peanut butter/shortening side down, onto the plate. Put a string
through the middle of the bagel and hang on tree.
Peanut butter pine cones
Find plain pine cones. Wrap a string around the bottom so it can be
hung from a tree. Mix peanut butter with
a little bit of vegetable oil. Spoon it into the pine cone’s crevices. Roll in
bird seed and hang. You can also add raisins, other fruit or nuts. I used some of the leftovers on the bagel feeder shown above.
Log feeders
Don’t forget that some birds are ground feeders. I mixed some peanut butter with oatmeal and spread the mixture on the rough bark side of a split log. The log was placed under the tree where the rest of the ornaments were hung.
Bird seed Christmas
ornaments
These are probably the most complicated treats as they
involve some cooking.
1
package of unflavored gelatin Drinking straws cut in 2" pieces
½ cup hot water Cookie cutter or cupcake pan
¾ cup
of flour Cookie sheet
3
tablespoons of corn syrup Waxed paper
4 cups of birdseed
Pour flour into the birdseed and mix. Heat the water and dissolve the unflavored gelatin in it. Add corn syrup. Pour water/gelatin mix into the birdseed /flour and stir. It will have the consistency of newly mixed Rice Krispie marshmallow bars.
Put wax paper on the cookie sheet and choose a cookie cutter that does not have a top. Grease the insides of the cookie cutter and place on the wax paper. Fill
the cookie cutter about halfway full or put a thick layer in the bottom of the cupcake tins.
Press down hard and I do mean hard! Use the straws to poke a hole where you want the string to go.
Refrigerate at least overnight.
This made 6 rather large gingerbread men. I also made some Christmas trees with a second batch, but the weight of them proved to be too much for the hole. I ended up tying them up with colorful string and hanging them on the tree that way. (See photo above.) When I make my next batch, I will probably use a smaller shape, like a star, and put the hole in the middle.
The Finished Tree
It took the neighborhood birds a while to realize the treats were there. By the time my son came home from school today, though, he found the pear tree had turned into Party Central! (Now if only I can figure out how to attract a patridge....)
I hope you’ll try making at least one of these treats with
wild bird food this holiday season. They
make a colorful display in the yard and also make great gifts for the bird
lover on your list. Either way, the
birds will thank you.
By Karen Geisler
