Feeding the birds in winter……

Merry Meet my friends and Blessed Full Frost Moon!  The Moon is gorgeous tonight here..huge and yellow in the sky..just a few clouds floating lazily across Her.  I have been very busy the last few days.  I have a busy week as I’m sure many of you do too.  Thanksgiving is at my house this year and my granddaughter’s 2nd birthday party is here on sunday!  I managed to get my home cleaned and decorated for Yule/Christmas the last couple of days.  Today the grocery shopping got done..Wed.  I’ll be cooking all day and getting ready! 🙂 

In the midst of all this busyness, I got a call from my daughter Kate asking me to come for a visit..of course I went..I never turn down a chance to see her and my darling little Lily.  After visiting a bit, we decided to do a project  that Lily would enjoy.  We decided to feed the birds!  This is a great fun project ..even for the little ones…because its fun and easy.  The idea is to make “ornaments” for an outdoor tree.  I have listed some ideas below and the how-tos on how to make these natural bird feeders.  Lily had such a great time and stuck with it for quite some time.  We then went out and decorated a tree in their yard.  We made a memory for all of us! 🙂

I have always loved birds…I just love watching them and we have had feeders and a bird bath for as long as I can remember.  My particular favorite, cardinals. who mate for life by the way, give my soul a lift when I see them at the feeder or sitting on a branch singing or you catch that bright red on a snowy winter day.  We get alot of birds here in Ohio in the winter.  Those beautiful cardinals, blue jays, finches, sparrows, titmice, doves, woodpeckers and other birds I’m not sure of the names of 🙂  We live near a wetlands and get alot of different species.  We have  had a heron land in our yard many times to visit our pond.    We keep our feeders filled and try to keep our bird bath clean and filled with water that isn’t frozen.   We have a koi pond with a waterfall and at any time during the winter, we will see birds bathing and drinking at the waterfall.  We have alot of trees for shelter also.

Some other ways to feed the birds..especially if you’re on a budget is to get creative.  Yes, bird feeders are nice but there are fun ways to feed them and to have fun while you’re doing it! 🙂

Bagel or Pinecone Treat  Take some regular bagels and slice them in half. Spread the cut side with either peanut butter or honey. Sprinkle the bagels with birdseed that you can purchase at nurseries or any place that sells pet supplies. To hang the bagels on your tree, thread a short length of cording through the center of the hole in the bagel and knot the ends to make a loop. Hang the treat on various branches of the tree for the birds to feed on. If you wanted you could also use yarn to hang the treat on the tree, so that in the spring the birds can re-use the yarn in their nests. Jute or hemp is good too for hanging.  You can do this with a large pine cone as well.

Cereal Garland
 String some dry cereal such as Cheerios on the string.  I also like to use apple jacks or fruit loops.   When hanging the cereal garland on the tree, group several strands together so it’s easier for the birds to eat. Drape the garland all over the tree as you would with your Christmas tree.

Corn on the Cob Treats
Wrap some wire around the top of a corn cob, leaving a loop for hanging.  Hang the corn cob on the branches of the tree by the wire loop.  The squirrels and chipmunks will love this too!

Apple Treats
Cut a short length of wire and fold it in half. Wrap the loose ends of the wire around the apple stem, leaving a loop to hang the apple with. Hang the apples from the tree branches with the wire loop.  Birds love fruit and berries.  Try to have trees that will bear fruit and berries in your yard.

Some other natural ways of feeding and sheltering  birds…grow flowers that have seed heads such as sunflowers…leave the seed heads on the flowers instead of cutting down the flowers. Throw  your left over or stale bread, muffins, nuts, berries right on the ground.  Keep a water source.  Use a live christmas tree…after christmas..put it in your yard to help shelter birds.  Hang bird houses.  Plant trees.  The birds will come to your yard if you make it “homey” for them! 🙂  Oh yes, you will want to have a camera and a pair of binoculars available as well.

                            “Watching birds has become part of my daily meditation affirming my connection to the earth body.”….Carol P. Christ

I think this quote is so true.  Watching birds..the beauty of nature…will help you to feel the connection to our Mother Earth.  And caring for her creatures….that connects Mother Earth  to us! 🙂  So feed the birds this winter, take time to watch them while you’re having your morning cup, listen to their song, and appreciate the beauty that is right there for you to enjoy.

Blessed Be, Autumn