This early spring craft can be a fun rainy day activity with kids and then once hung in your garden outside a window, you can watch as bird's gather from your offerings. (You can make several and put them in various spots to see which ones the birds prefer.) Later on, after the fledglings have hatched, you can see what nests used your materials.
Level: easy Cost: minimal Use: garden decor/wildlife/gift
Materials:
- dried grasses
- small twigs
- pet hair
- dry leaves
- cattail or milkweed fluff
- twine
- cotton (I grew my own)
- a suet cage, wire ball, or other wire structure
Step 1: Collect materials from your garden and/or purchase them.
Step 2: Tie a 10-inch piece of twine to the top of the cage or sphere and knot it securely. You will use this later for hanging it.
Step 3: Stuff coconut fiber or Spanish moss into the center of the wire cage or wire form.
Step 4: Add your other bird nesting materials loosely into the cage/frame so the birds can pull them out, but secure enough that the wind won't blow it away. Here is where you can get creative -- form patterns or layers with them materials as you wish.
Step 5: Hang in garden.
Note: it is not recommend to use yarn and ribbon as bird's feet can get tangled in them and also avoid dryer lint as it can contain harmful chemicals from laundry products.
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This is a monthly blog series on DIY projects for the beginning home gardener. Look for the other installments in this DIY blog series by putting "DIY" in the search box here at washingtongardener.blogspot.
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