This diy pinecone bird feeder is a classic craft for a reason-it never goes out of style! You’ve seen it in summer camps, craft swaps, girl scout get-together…It’s as close to nature as you can get. And kids and adults alike can enjoy doing this.
Now I’m going to show you how you too can do this classic.It’s the ideal craft for the fall and winter months when there are fewer birds, but they are still en route to their destination and looking for food sources. Even better, when your feathered friends have had their fill you can start over and reapply more seed to it.
First thing to do is start collecting pine cones! There’s no lack of trees where I live, and definitely no lack of pine trees, those cones are everywhere….and don’t get me started about sweetgum balls….
Try to find a nice big cone that flares out a little….Fall and winter seems to be the best time to find them. “Skinny” cones won’t work for this, they need to be aged, and juvenile cones are not only too small, there is nowhere to actually tie anything to them, and you’ll be hanging this up too.
Here are a few that I’ve found on my nature walks that are excellent to make birdfeeders with. I think I’m going to use that one on the left, it’s the biggest….
It’s good if you can find several of these kinds of “well aged” cones. They will come in handy for other projects, too! Save them as you find them…
Next get your cone, first we’ll attach the hanger (some people do this last, but I prefer to do it first….You can use something like ribbon (grosgrain would look best) leather or jute cord. I love the “woodsy” look of jute, so I am using that. Dab some glue to the top stem of the cone and arrange the ribbon/cord.
I used a little bit of e6000 and let it sit up for a day before proceeding to the next step. I also added a few beads to the cord, but that’s strictly optional.
Now spread out some wild birdseed onto a plate or sheet of wax paper. The kind doesn’t matter, but I like the kind that lacks corn kernels. The birds in my area do not like corn. The bag of birdseed on the left is the one I’ve decided to use. No biggie, my laying hens love corn so I give it to them instead.
Spread some peanut butter all over your cone,try to get it as much as you can on the outlying parts. Now roll it in birdseed so it’s all sticking to the peanut butter..let the excess fall off into the plate.
I’ve heard of people using honey instead of peanut butter. Me? I dunno. Honey is sweet (duh) and I’m always afraid it will attract the wrong kind of creatures before the birds have a chance. You could also use molasses…I think peanut butter works the best. Use whatever you prefer that you have on hand. Now you are ready to hang it up somewhere.
Here it is, this is pretty close to what yours will look like when you are finished. I have more birds coming around to the backyard than the front,so I hang it there instead. Probably because my cats lounge around in the front and birds, naturally, will try to avoid the presence of felines if they spot them regularly.
If there aren’t that many birds in that spot you can move it to a better place. Sooner or later they;ll find it…and enjoy it. Have fun diy-ing your pinecone bird feeder!
And if you’d like to try your hand at some more great feeders, I suggest you take a look at these other projects I’ve done. Have fun!
Making an Edible Birdhouse with Seed
