Christmas Tree for the Birds 2019 ♥

Every year I decorate this tree full of edible bird ornaments. Click on this link for all the DIY ornaments: A Christmas Tree for the Birds. 

I'm not sure who enjoys the tree the most - me or my backyard birds!

I added a new ornament to the tree this year! - It's a suet snowflake!

I purchased Silicone Snowflake Molds from Amazon - $9.99 for 2. Then I made a suet mix from:

2 cups lard
4 cups white cornmeal
1/2 cup flour

Melt it all together and spoon the mixture into the molds. Refrigerate until solid. I couldn't make a hole in the snowflake without it falling apart, but it fits perfectly in a canning jar lid.

 I invite you to follow my Facebook page to see the products available in our shop, my DIY projects and more photos of my backyard birds. 

 ~ Rebecca's Bird Gardens (Facebook)

Merry Christmas!

A Christmas treat for the birds! - A jelly jar full of suet!

DIY Mason - or Jelly Jar - Suet Feeder

Very simple and inexpensive suet feeder.
Start with a small threaded jar - I used 4oz jelly jars - but any repuposed small jar would work.
You could make your own DIY hanger for the jar, but I found these (Ball Jar Wire Handle 3 pack) at Joann Craft Store.  A package of 3 hangers is about $5 - but use a 50% off coupon and then they are only $2.50. - That adds up to less than a dollar per feeder! Fill them with purchased suet or make your own. Here's the recipe:

Basic Suet Recipe 

1 cup lard

1 cup chunky peanut butter

Melt the lard and peanut butter together, then add:

3 cups cornmeal

1/2 cup flour

4 cups birdseed

 Tufted Titmouse

Northern Male Cardinal

One of my favorite backyard birds - The Caroline Wren ♥

Little bit more of a challenge for a Blue Jay to eat suet out of a jelly jar,

 but he manages to get the job done. ♥

A Christmas Tree for the Birds!

I had a few birdseed ornaments left over from our holiday season at the market so I thought I'd decorate a Christmas tree for my backyard birds.

♥ Bird seed ornaments - hearts and miniature wreaths

Here's the DIY:
Dissolve 2 packets unflavored gelatin in 1 cup water in a large pan over medium heat.
Add 3/4 cup flour and 6 Tbsp corn syrup.
Mix over medium heat until all lumps are gone and the mixture forms a smooth thick paste.
Add 8 cups birdseed. Stir until all seeds are coated.
Spray pans, cookie molds, etc. with nonstick cooking spray.

I use a Wilton Mini Heart Silicone Mold for the heart ornaments. I've tried several different molds and pans for these ornaments and Wilton's is the best...  Push the prepared mixture into the mold firmly with the back of a greased spoon. Make a hole with a wooden skewer or straw. With the silicone molds you can carefully remove the ornament and fill the molds again. Let the ornaments dry for a few days - turning a couple of times a day.

For the miniature birdseed wreaths, I use the above recipe, but add a few holly berries to a greased metal miniature fluted mold pan. The metal pan works better for the miniature birdseed wreaths...

Add the prepared mixture to each wreath mold. Press in firmly with the back of a greased spoon then refrigerate for 30 minutes. Flip the pan over and slightly tap and the wreaths should easily come out of the pan. Allow the wreaths to dry thoroughly for a few days - turning a couple of times a day.

Use jute, ribbon or raffia to hang. If you're not going to use the birdseed ornaments within a week, refrigerate them. - I've had them mold if the humidity is high, but they've lasted for months if stored in a refrigerator.

♥ Suet covered pinecones

Here's the recipe:

1 cup lard 

1 cup chunky peanut butter

Melt the lard and peanut butter together, then add:

3 cups cornmeal

1/2 cup flour

4 cups birdseed

Let the above mixture cool until moldable then press into pinecones. Hang with jute, ribbon or wire.

♥ I also strung a garland of holly berries and peanuts, filled a few purchased nests with mealworms and added a burlap gift sack filled with thistle (here's a link to the DIY and photos of a burlap thistle sock - DIY Burlap Thistle Sock).

I love watching my backyard birds enjoy their own Christmas tree - and they seem to appreciate my gift. (Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse and Downy Woodpecker featured above). ♥  I invite you to follow my Facebook page to see the products available in our shop, my DIY projects and more photos of my backyard birds. 

 ~ Rebecca's Bird Gardens (Facebook)

       

DIY Miniature Suet and Birdseed Wreaths

Miniature Suet Wreaths:
I've made larger suet wreaths before - here's the DIY instructions: DIY Suet Wreath  - but this version is quick, easy and adorable. ♥ This would be a fun craft to do with children and it's a unique way to offer suet as a winter protein source to your backyard birds.

Supplies:

- Wilton Easy-Flex Silicone 4 Cavity Mini Fluted Tube
- Miniature grapevine wreaths
- Ingredients for suet:
     1 cup lard
     1 cup chunky peanut butter
     Melt the lard and peanut butter together, then add:
     3 cups cornmeal
     1/2 cup flour
     4 cups birdseed
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Jute or string for hanging
- Holly berries (optional)

Spray the silicone pan with nonstick cooking spray then (if available) add a few holly berries. Fill each wreath shape half full with the suet mixture then press in the miniature grapevine wreath. Add suet on top of the grapevine wreath and refrigerate overnight. Once the suet has hardened, it should be easy to remove from the silicone pan. -  Hang with jute or string and add a raffia bow if desired.

I invite you to follow my Facebook page to see the products available in our shop, my DIY projects and more photos of my backyard birds! ~ Rebecca's Bird Gardens (Facebook)

Tufted Titmouse ~ Carolina Chickadee

Miniature Birdseed Wreaths:
For this miniature birdseed wreath, I've found that a metal pan works the best. It's the same recipe and steps that I use for larger birdseed wreaths, but I added holly berries (to the metal pan) prior to adding the birdseed mixture.

Here's the recipe - makes about 20 miniature wreaths

3/4 cup flour
1 cup warm water
6 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 package unflavored gelatin
8 cups birdseed
Nonstick cooking spray

Stir the gelatin into the water and heat over medium heat until dissolved. Whisk in the corn syrup and flour. Stir well until there are no more lumps. It will make a thick gooey paste. Add the birdseed and stir until all the seeds are coated.

Add the holly berries (optional) to the prepared pan - then using a greased metal spoon, press the seed mixture into the wreath shapes (be sure to press the mixture down firmly until it’s well packed and even).

Place the pan in the refrigerator until set (about 30 minutes) then carefully remove them from the molds by turning them upside down onto a cookie sheet. Let the wreaths dry for about 5 days (turning them occasionally so that they dry throughout).

If you only have one miniature wreath pan, you could cut the recipe in half or make a larger wreath - using a bundt pan - and a pan of miniature wreaths...

I invite you to follow my Facebook page to see the products available in our shop, my DIY projects and more photos of my backyard birds.

DIY Heart Bird-Feeders ♥

Grapevine Suet ♥

Carolina Chickadee ~ Tufted Titmouse

Downy Woodpecker ~ White-breasted Nuthatch

Prepare the basic suet recipe (allow it to cool) and coat it to one side of the wreath. Refrigerate for 30 minutes then push it onto the other side of the wreath. Wear gloves - it's messy...

2 cups lard  ~ You can render your own suet from beef fat (it's an all day process), but I prefer purchasing lard, which is pork fat.
2 cups chunky peanut butter
Melt the lard and peanut butter together, then add:
6 cups cornmeal
1 cup flour
8 cups birdseed







Or - you can simply use heart shaped candy or cupcake molds to make miniature ♥  suet feeders!

Tufted Titmouse

Or  ...  spread peanut butter on a grapevine ♥ and press in birdseed.

White-breasted Nuthatch

Birdseed ♥

Carolina Chickadee

Male House Finch

Makes 2 wreaths or several ornaments.

3/4 cup flour
1 cup warm water
6 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 package unflavored gelatin
8 cups bird food (such as seeds, peanuts, berries, dried fruits)
2 heart cake pans or other molds
Nonstick cooking spray
Wire - bend into a heart shape...

Stir the gelatin into the water and heat over medium heat until dissolved. Whisk in the corn syrup and cornstarch. Stir well until there are no more lumps. It will make a thick gooey paste. Add the birdseed and stir until all the seeds are coated. Place the  1/2 the mixture equally divided into two greased heart cake pans. Add the heart-shaped wire - then add the remaining mixture.Using a greased metal spoon, press the seed mixture into the pans (be sure to press the mixture down firmly until it’s well packed and even). Place the pans in the refrigerator until set then carefully remove them from the molds by turning them upside down onto a cookie sheet. Let the wreaths dry over night (turning them occasionally so that they dry throughout).

Happy Valentine's Day from 

Rebecca's Bird Gardens ♥

Down Home Blog Hop

DIY Giant Sugar Pinecone Suet Feeder

I've made winter bird-feeders by covering the pinecones from the White Pines of my property with suet for years. It makes a cheap - natural looking - suet feeder that can be reused several times. But... the ultimate pinecone suet feeder comes from loading a pinecone from a California Giant Sugar Pine!

Carolina Chickadee

If this isn't a native tree to your area, you can occasionally find these pinecones at craft or floral stores or (as I did) order them from ebay. Expect to pay around $4 - $6 per cone, but they hold-up well through several uses and it takes a couple of weeks for the birds to finish off all the suet these pinecones can hold.

Start with a basic suet recipe:

Suet Recipe
2 cups lard  ~ You can render your own suet from beef fat (it's an all day process), but I prefer purchasing lard, which is pork fat.
2 cups chunky peanut butter
Melt the lard and peanut butter together, then add:
6 cups cornmeal
1 cup flour
8 cups birdseed

Male Downy Woodpecker ~ Tufted Titmouse

Allow the mixture to cool until it slightly holds together. Wearing gloves - push the suet into one side of the pinecone then allow it to harden several minutes in the refrigerator. Add suet to the remaining side and return it to the fridge as before. Finish by pushing the remaining suet into the gaps and bottom of the pinecone. It takes almost the whole recipe to cover one 12" - 16" pinecone... I used what little suet I had left over to cover a couple of pinecones from my White Pine tress.

I used jute twine wrapped around the pinecone a couple of times near the top and again around the stem -  and double knotted. Then I made a loop in the jute for hanging.

Here's a few more ways to offer suet as a food source during the winter:
DIY Suet Feeders
DIY Suet Wreath

Female Red-bellied Woodpecker

Tufted Titmouse ~ Dark-eyed Junco

Outdoor Wednesday
Down Home Blog Hop
From the Farm Blog Hop
I'd Rather B Birdn'
Wild Bird Wednesday
Nature Notes
Clever Chicks Blog Hop

DIY Suet Feeders

I'm preparing a class for the Master Gardener chapter that I'm a member of on making bird-feeders utilizing natural sources, recycled materials and re-purposed items. Of course the best bird-feeder is what nature provides: nuts, seeds and fruit from native trees, shrubs and wildflowers (and native insects)... Here's my hand-out for my "bird" talk I give:  Creating a Bird Garden

But - this class is all about creating bird-feeders and I've been trying a few DIY feeders I've found over the Internet. I've been making my own suet for years and I am sure the birds prefer my homemade version over a purchased suet cake... In fact, I've never had a bluebird visit a suet feeder at my property unless it contained my homemade recipe! In addition to coating pine-cones with my suet mixture, I've been experimenting with some other options to offer this food supplement. Here's my recipe and what I've came up with so far...

Suet Recipe
2 cups lard  ~ You can render your own suet from beef fat (it's an all day process), but I prefer purchasing lard, which is pork fat.
2 cups chunky peanut butter
Melt the lard and peanut butter together, then add:
6 cups cornmeal
1 cup flour
8 cups birdseed

Suet Log
Pretty much self-explanatory... I took a log, drilled random holes with a 1 inch spade drill bit. Then I drilled a hole in the top and added an eye bolt. I then filled the holes with suet and immediately the birds visited this "natural-looking" feeder...

Female Red-bellied Woodpecker

White-breasted Nuthatch

Tufted Titmouse

Grapevine Suet Ball
Purchase a grapevine ball from a craft store. Cover it with Glad Press'n Seal Wrap (it's the only wrap that works), pull the twigs apart on one side to make a hole and scoop in suet that has cooled to a "moldable" stage. Add twine or jute to hang the feeder. Refrigerate the ball until harden. Remove the plastic wrap - hang up the feeder - watch the action!
Update: The twigs of the grapevine ball are not strong enough to hold the weight of the suet. In my later version, I added a wire that went through the ball and supported the bottom.

Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmouse

White-breasted Nuthatch

Blue Jay and Downy Woodpecker

Male Downy and Male Hairy Woodpeckers. They are lookalikes until they're side-by-side!

Orange Suet Feeder
Pretty simple... This would be a fun craft to do with children. 
Take an orange - cut it in half - scoop out the inside. Attach twine or jute (I used a wooden skewer to poke a hole and push the jute through). This feeder lasted a couple of days then one disappeared. The next day I discovered the mystery of the missing orange feeder!

Tufted Titmouse

Eastern Gray Squirrel:  the culprit...