Want to help out our feathered friends, but don't want to spend lots of money on a fancy bird feeder? There's lots of ways to feed wild birds without costing you a fortune:
- Pour some sunflower and other seeds in a pie tin, and place it on a stool or tree trunk. You could also put it in a hanging plant holder. Poke some holes in it so rain and melted snow can drain out.
- Coat a pine cone with peanut butter and roll it in birdseed. Then tie a string to it and hang it from a tree branch.
- Cut some holes in an empty plastic pop bottle (get an adult to help). Stick some twigs through it, with ends sticking out on both sides for perches. Tie a string around the neck and hang it from a tree.
- Wash an empty milk carton and let it dry. Staple the top, and cut a small section from one side (about 5 - 10 cm wide, just big enough for small song birds to fit in). Poke a hole in the top and use string, yarn or an old clothes hanger to hang it from a tree. Fill it with bird seed.
Remember, once you start a bird feeder, birds will depend on it. Keep it filled until springtime, when birds can find other food.