How to make a pine cone bird feeder

• Pine or fir cones (dried out so they don’t open)
• Bird seed
• Raisins
• Peanuts
• Lard
• A mixing bowl
• Scissors
• String

It would be a great idea to try and locate the pine cones for this activity during a winter walk.  Pine cones fall from trees from September till December, the best place to find them is under conifer trees in woods and parks.  Once you have your pine cone then the net step is to make the ‘food’.

Mix together in a bowl; the lard, leave this at room temperature until it softens and then cut into chunks.  Add the bird seed, nuts and raisins and using your hands squish everything together into a big ball.

Next, tie the string around the middle of the pine cone so that you can hang that from the tree or fence or where ever you like. Get the mixture from the bowl and squash it all around the pine cone, making it into a ball shape.

Finally, leave it in the pine cone in the fridge to let it set for an hour.  Then it’s time to hang in your garden to offer up a delicious treat to a variety of birds.

So easy and fun to do! If you make one, share your photos in the comments below or on the VICTA Parent Network Facebook group.