Fall Nature Study: Feed The Birds

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Wherever you are fall is a good time to start feeding the birds. The seeds are mostly gone from the fields and birds will be looking for food. 

feed the birds, fall nature study feed the birds

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to feed the birds. This is a great way to begin, or continue, your nature study of birds and kids love to make them!

I love to watch them over the winter and see if I can identify them in their winter colors. 

Pine Cone Bird Feeder Supply List

  1. Open pine cones: the bigger, the better (pine cones close up when they get wet, just so you know)
  2. Peanut butter (you can use lard if allergies are a concern)
  3. Cornmeal or oatmeal
  4. Birdseed
  5. Yarn or string

How to Make a Pine Cone Bird Feeder

  1. Cut a piece of yarn or string approximately 12″ long, knot the ends together, and work it between the scales, around the wide end of the pine cone.
  2. Mix 1/2 C peanut butter or lard with 1/2 C oatmeal or cornmeal. Press it onto the pine cone. We found it worked best to do it with our fingers, but you can use a spoon, too.
  3. Put some birdseed in a pan or bowl, and roll the sticky pine cone in it. If it has trouble sticking, you can press it on with your fingers or a spoon.
  4. Hang it up in a tree or bush and wait for your feathered friends to appear!

Making A Pine Cone Bird Feeder

My children and I have had great success with these little homemade feeders. The birds seem to like them even better than the feeders I have out all the time.

Maybe it’s the peanut butter? I prefer cornmeal, if I have it, to oatmeal, but it’s probably not worth a special trip to the store. Also, we tried using a rubber spatula and found it was too soft to work well pressing the peanut butter mixture, and then the seed, onto the pine cone.

While you’re watching the birds, see what you notice about them. What kinds of birds do you see? Do they visit the feeder individually or in groups? Are there any “bullies” who chase other birds away? Do some birds prefer to eat on the ground or at the feeder?

Consider keeping a list of the birds you see and see if different ones visit you during the winter and in the spring/summer. Here is a free printable page for your bird list! If you’re new to bird watching, here are some resources I recommend for getting started:

Nature is all around us and it’s part of science! Follow our science Pinterest board below to keep your kids busy with science activities, experiments and more this year!
Follow Misty Leask’s board Homeschool: Science on Pinterest.

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