bird feeders.

Every fall we like to make some sort of bird feeder for our yard. This year we had a new idea. We saw a terra cotta pot bird feeder craft in an old garden craft book (which I can't now remember) and we thought it would be nice to try making one, but using compostable bio pots and bamboo/recycled saucers instead of the terra cotta!


We picked up bio pots (with holes in the bottom where you can put a cord) and bamboo saucers (a few inches bigger than the top of the pot so you have enough room to add bird seed).

To start, the boys painted a white base using outdoor acrylic craft paint on the inside and outside of compostable pots and let dry. They then painted their designs on the outside of their pots, and let that dry again. This paint is outdoor paint, so with the combination of the white base layer and the boys' thickly painted designs, we didn't feel we needed to varnish them too.


Once dry, we looped a strong cord through the pot holes on the top and knotted tightly (to create a loop to hang it). I put a blob of glue on the knot just to be sure it held.



We sandpapered the lip of the pots a tad bit, and then I used gorilla glue to adhere the pots upside down onto the saucers (added: you can gently smooth the glue as it poofs out of the crack as it is drying so that there isn't any glue outline on the outer edge). We let that dry too, and then voila! Ready to hang.

(yes, he's trying to slyly stick his tongue out - ha!)

We added some bird seed and hung them on a tree.


We had birds within an hour. The bright designs look great in our bare tree, and will pop once the snow hits the ground. We can see it from our back door so can bird watch all winter!



.

hatched!

We have hatched robins! Yesterday I checked and saw one had hatched, and by this afternoon we have 3. Only one little egg left, most likely will hatch in the next day or so. They are so tiny. Little bits of pink skin and fuzz.

We have been reading about robin eggs and juveniles, and we only have 10-15 days after hatching before they start to dive out of the nest. The nest is just above my eye level, so I have been holding the camera up in the air and taking pix down into the nest when the mom is gone. I did get a video for the boys too - we don't want to disturb them too much, but they really want to see as we go along. The birds picked the perfect spot for the nest - our yard has lots of spots to hide, lots of worms, fresh water, and an arbor with pot holders which is so convenient for nest building.

Very exciting!

for the birds.

My husband has been gone pretty much all day and night for many many many days with work (and has taken our family car many times due to the bad weather), so we have been tucked in a bit at home. The boys seem to be a bit more intense and moody when dad is gone so much, so I have been trying to keep the holiday crafting projects rolling in a bit at a time, to keep us busy and happy...craftiness plus lots of games, baking, and snowball fights on the deck is good.

Every year we like to make pine cone bird feeders. They are easy and look nice out on the tree. We have had a bit of snow already this year, but a 'big one' is hitting us tonight and tomorrow. When there is big snow, our other bird feeders usually get blocked a bit, so it is the perfect time for the pine cones!

It is easy. You just need UNsweetened creamy peanut butter, a little coconut oil, pine cones, birdseed, and ribbon.


Scoop out a container of creamy peanut butter into a bowl and stir in a tablespoon of the oil to thin it down a little so that it isn't too thick or sticky for the birds. Don't want to choke them. An alternative to the oil is to mix in a little corn meal - that makes the peanut butter more gritty and easier for birds to eat as well.

Tie ribbons on the pine cones. Put the pine cone in the peanut butter and spoon to coat. Let drip a little, then put it into a bowl of birdseed. Roll to coat well. Done! Hang it out on a tree, up close to a branch!


Within 60 seconds of hanging our pine cones on the tree we had birds already feeding on them (not exaggerating - we walked in and closed door and they were on it). Fun!

And then there were...

Two!

Now, the question is this. Are these eggs from the same bird? About when the second egg appeared, a few days after the first egg, we started seeing THREE other doves (rather than just the one other dove besides whoever is in the nest at the time) flying about and hovering, and sitting on our garage roof. We read that sometimes four birds will share nesting duties, but I am assuming that means only one bird laid the eggs? Does anyone know?