Attract Birds In The Winter With A Natural Feeder They'll Love

Growing up, most of us learned that birds fly south for the winter, seeking out food and refuge in warmer climes. The idea is such a part of our cultural DNA that people who travel to places like Arizona or New Mexico for the winter to escape the snow and ice are even called "snowbirds." But the truth is, some birds, like chickadees, gold finches, and blue jays, have been known to spend the winter with us snow bunnies. Like their summer counterparts, they do, however, appreciate a little help in the food department. This makes putting your DIY bird feeders out for the winter a great way to continue attracting birds to the yard, even as the snow has begun to blanket the ground. What's unique about this easy-to-make feeder is that it's natural and looks like it's part of the landscape.

Most of the supplies on the list for this DIY come straight from the backyard. You'll construct the feeder from twigs, which you'll work into a cage shape. Willow branches are a good choice for your bird feeder because they're easily bent. Bamboo and even apple tree branches work well, too. You'll probably need between six and eight of them. Gather up some greenery as well. Evergreens, like holly or pine boughs, are ideal feeder decorations.

And since no bird feeder is good without some grub, you'll want to collect foods that'll work in your cage-style feeder. Fruits like pears, apples, and plums are usually popular with birds. And the colors of many of these foods are the same colors as their favorite flowers, making the fruits easier to find in snow-covered lands. Finally, your craft requires string or twine and some scissors as well.

The cage exterior is fairly simple to construct. Cut your twigs down until they're 15 to 18 inches long. Bind both ends of the bundle with a twine until you have the makings of a cage. Spread open the bars of the bird feeder slightly, and push fruit inside the bars of the twiggy aviary. Use smaller fruits, like plums, on the ends of the cage, where the twine pinches them together. It'll be an easier fit. Larger fruits, like apples and pears, go in the middle. You could even cut larger fruits in half to make them fit more easily. Once your fruit cage is full, tie off the top with twine. Fasten decorative items like dried orange slices and boughs of greenery to the top to make it more decorative. Finally, create a hanger for it from twine and hook the cage to a tree branch.

You're not limited to just apples, plums, and pears inside the feeder, either. You can get creative with the types of foods you put into the cage. In addition to fresh fruit, try cutting up a few of your DIY suet blocks for the feeder. (Suet bars are often made of big dollops of natural peanut butter that have been stuffed with seeds and nuts, although many suet bird feeder recipes also include lard in addition to the peanut butter.) And bagels that you've hardened overnight can be turned into a tasty bird snack for your twig feeder with just a few tweaks. Just smear loads of peanut butter on the bagel and cover it completely with seeds and raisins before adding it to the cage feeder.