How to make a pine cone bird feeder

At this time of year, birds struggle to find food, like berries and seeds, which give them much needed energy. Enjoy this fun and sticky activity and watch for the results. Garden species like robins, goldfinches or blue tits will enjoy this treat and you may attract more birds to your garden.

You can make the feeder indoors but you’ll need to collect some pine cones first (use your lockdown daily walk for this). If you’ve never hunted for pine cones before, you may discover trees you’ve never noticed before or find new places to visit nearby.

You will need: pine cone, string, peanut butter/lard, and wild bird seed mix.

Tie a 30cm length of string to the top of your pine cone, cover well in lard or peanut butter (soften lard first to help spread), roll in bird seed several times to coat, then chill in fridge for a few hours.

Hang in your garden (not too close to buildings), ideally somewhere you can enjoy watching from a distance, and record and photograph any visitors you get.

Print off the attachment to have a go with the family or pass on to others.

Share photos of your finished feeders, and the birds that feed on it, on our Fellfoot Forward Facebook group.