How to Make a Pine Cone Bird Feeder

Courtesy Debbie Kaiman Tillinghast

One of my favorite things about birding is passing on my passion to younger generations. Ask your kids or grandkids to help you make an easy DIY pine cone bird feeder, and then teach them about the different species that it attracts.

DIY Pine Cone Bird Feeder

Gather a pine cone, peanut butter (smooth or crunchy are both OK), a pipe cleaner, a popsicle stick, and a small dish of bird seed. Twist a pipe cleaner to the top of the pine cone. Then have kids spread peanut butter in all of the nooks and crannies using a popsicle stick. If the peanut butter is too thick to spread, soften it in the microwave for a few seconds. Next, kids should roll the sticky cone in birdseed.

Once the DIY bird treat is finished, hang it in a nearby tree. Watch from a distance to see which bird species stop by your backyard for a nibble. Here’s how to make a birdseed wreath.

What Birds Eat Peanut Butter?

Peanut butter-loving birds include downy, hairy, red-bellied and red-headed woodpeckers, as well as Northern flickers, blue jays and nuthatches. Kids can also help smear peanut butter directly on tree trunks to attract birds. Here’s even more ways to introduce kids to birding.