Erin Fox
Snowdrops, daffodils, St Brigid crosses and birdsong are all key symbols of spring. With winter almost gone, you will see and hear more birds gathering in gardens. Food can be scarce for birds even at this time of the year so welcome birds into your garden by placing a bird feeder in the centre.
You can buy bird feeders in garden centres and supermarkets, but it is much more fun to make a DIY feeder. With some fruit, grains and nut butter you can fashion a whole variety of feeders. Be sure to use fruits that are low in sugar such as grapes and blueberries.
For a bird feeder wreath, you will need some floral wire, ribbon or string, scissors and a mixture of berries, nuts and seeds.
Cut a piece of floral wire and twist the wire into a ring. You can cut whichever length you want, depending on how wide you want to make the wreath. Before joining each end together, thread on the berries, nuts and grains. Twist the ends together and tie a piece of string or ribbon around where the ends meet. Hang this up outside from a branch or the washing line.
You can always twist the wire into a shape like a heart or a star. Depending on the thickness of the wire you use, ask a grown up to help with this.
Make sure to include a bird bath for when the birds come to snack on your home made feeders! A shallow dish will work for this. Make sure you place the bath at a medium height in the garden, and replace the water every few days.
More ideas
Pierce a hole into the middle of a plastic bottle and push an old wooden spoon through out to the other side. Repeat lower down on the bottle. Fill the bottle with seed mix and the seeds will spill out onto the ladle of the spoons.
Spread a large pine cone with nut butter such as peanut or almond. Fill a shallow dish with nuts and seed mix and roll the buttered pine cone into this. Shake gently and place on a table outside.
Save your orange peelings and fill them with fruit and nuts. Once the feeder has finished, you can recycle it as compost.
