Birdfeeders are easy to make

By Kathy Hatfield
Gardening Columnist

Some birds can eat twice their weight in food every day, and it's a lot of work finding that much food, especially during the winter. Cold and snow not only make it difficult for birds to feed, but they also use more energy trying to find food. The cold winter months ahead are the perfect time to enjoy the winter birds in your yard while making their survival easier. Here are some ideas for easy birdfeeders to make and the kinds of food to put on the "menu."

Tie a long string around a pinecone. Spread peanut butter on the pinecone, and then roll it in birdseed or breadcrumbs. Tie the pinecone feeder to a tree branch.

A similar feeder can be made from a dried corncob. Push a large nail into the thick end and spread the corncob with a thick layer of peanut butter. Place birdseed on a pie plate and roll the peanut butter cob in the seed until it's coated. Tie a string to the head of the nail and hang the cob from a tree branch.

Many birds like something besides seeds to eat. Use a dull needle and dental floss to string unsalted popcorn, toasted oat cereal, cranberries, raisins or other dried fruits. Hang the string of treats in a tree.

Woodpeckers, chickadees, nut-hatches and many other birds like suet, which is a high-energy source. You can buy suet in the meat department at grocery stores. Put chunks of suet in a plastic mesh bag (the kind used for onions). Hang the bag on a tree. You can also push pieces of suet into holes that you have drilled in a log. Hang the log with a rope or a hook.

The hollowed out rind from half an orange or grapefruit makes a good feeder when filled with seed or a mixture of birdseed and suet. Use string attached to three or four points along the edge to hang it from a tree branch.

You can also make a special treat for birds by mixing one part each of vegetable shortening, peanut butter, white or whole-wheat flour and cracked corn. Mix together in a blender. Add three parts yellow cornmeal and mix well. Store it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Fill hanging logs, smear on a tree trunk, or stuff into pinecones.

It's not true that the birds will die if you stop feeding them in the winter. They'll look around in the area for other food sources, but during harsh conditions, that can make life difficult. When it is exceptionally cold or we have a heavy snowstorm, the birds may have trouble finding food and water. That's when it's important to make sure your feeders are full.

Since birds don't have teeth to chew their food, they eat sand and grit mixed in with their food to help grind it and make it more digestible. When there is snow on the ground, birds can have a hard time getting enough sand or grit. You can help by putting out a dish of sand, crushed eggshell, small gravel or builder's sand for them.

Birds need water too! When the temperature is below freezing, some birds may even eat snow if they can't find water. Putting out fresh water for them every day will help the birds.

Some birds store food for the winter the same as squirrels do. The Clark's nutcracker pries open pinecones looking for the seeds inside. It eats some seeds right away, but hides the rest for later use. A nutcracker may hide 30,000 seeds! It stores enough to feed its young in the spring, and nutcrackers are great at remembering most of their hiding places. They can even find seeds buried under 8 inches of snow!

Owls, too, sometimes store food in the winter. If they catch more than they can eat at one time, they may hide the extra food. The meat doesn't spoil because it freezes. When the owl is hungry, it thaws the meat by sitting on it for a while.

It may take several days for the birds to find the food you put out for them. But once they do, they'll return, as long as you keep the feeders full.