Whether rain is sparse (during a long dry summer) or it’s winter, the birds in your garden can find sourcing food difficult. A pine cone bird feeder is simple to make and will invite hungry Finches, Silvereyes and other birds into your garden.

What you need:

• A pinecone

• String

• Scissors

• Peanut butter and/or lard
  (we used half a pot of peanut butter)

• Birdseed
  (this has to be seed just for garden birds).

• Plate or Tupperware box

• Popsicle sticks or butter knife

What to do:

1. Find a pinecone.
   If all the pinecones you find are closed get an adult to help you open them by drying them out in the oven or just near a heater or fire. It’s important not to let them get too hot because this can cause a fire.

2. Cut a long piece so that you have enough string to tie it to the tree. Cut about 60 cm to start with.
   The string will be used to tie your bird feeder to the tree, so make sure it’s thick and strong.

3. Tie the string around the top third section of the pine cone. Make sure it’s tight and secure with a double knot.
   To make the pine cone hang vertically you can tie the string so that the knot finishes on the top centre of the pine cone.

4. Fill your plate or container with a layer of birdseed.

5. Scoop the peanut butter into a bowl.

6. Use the Popsicle stick or butter knife to smush peanut butter in and on the pine cone.

7. Cover one half of the pinecone with peanut butter and place it into your container of birdseed, with the peanut butter side face down.

8. Cover the other half of the pine cone with peanut butter, and any other parts you may have missed.

9. Roll the rest of the pine cone in the seeds. If the top needs more seeds just use your hands to squash more seeds onto the top and into any gaps.

10. Ask an adult to help you hang up the bird feeder in an area where rats and other pests are least likely to get to them.
    More than three meters from the ground is best. Rats can be surprisingly agile and clever when food is around.
    Another tip to stop rats is to take down the feeders at night.

11. Wait and watch.
    We found that birds in our garden don’t eat until 2-4pm. Some birds like Sparrows and Chaffinches still visit the feeder through the day just to look at it.

What kind of birds can you see?

We spotted Silvereyes, a Greenfinch, Chaffinches and Sparrows eating at our feeder which also attracted a sociable Fantail.