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You are here: Home / Kids Activities / Nature Activities / DIY Winter Bird Feeders

DIY Winter Bird Feeders

By Melissa Lennig 13 Comments. This content may contain affiliate links. This means I may earn a commission if you use these links.

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In winter, food and water become scarce for many species of birds. Bird feeders not only provide essential nourishment for winter birds, but provide people with free entertainment (and therapy!). How delightful it is to listen to the chattering and songs of the Black-capped Chickadee or the Northern Cardinal, and to watch the greedy Blue Jay bully the other birds away from the feeder. We keep several bird feeders in our yard, but decided it would be fun to treat our feathered friends to extra winter treats—using winter elements! Shared below are some ideas for easy DIY Winter Bird Feeders. Kids will have a great time putting them together!

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DIY Winter Bird Feeders | Fireflies and Mud Pies

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Feeding birds teaches children empathy skills, care, and respect for wildlife. Additionally, it instills a sense of wonder and amazement of the natural world. Imagine teaching your child how sitting by a warm window to watch the birds feast can calm down their upset feelings, reduce stress, or help them to work out confusing thoughts! What a positive, powerful coping skill!

DIY Winter Bird Feeders

Ice Ornament Feeder
To make an Ice Ornament Feeder, pour ½ cup of water into a plastic bowl (I used Green Eats bowls). Add about 1 cup of seed to the water and mix well. Next, cut 2 strips of ribbon and tie them together on one end. Place the knotted end into the water. Freeze the bowl overnight outdoors or in the freezer. The ice ornament should pop out easily if you gently squeeze the plastic. Hang the bird feeder on a nearby tree!

Make an Ice Ornament | Fireflies and Mud Pies

Snow Sculpture Bird Feeder
When the snow has warmed midday, it should become cohesive and packable. Sculpt a bird feeder into whatever shape you desire. Ideas include a snowman, a hollow tree stump shape, or the shape of a bird bath. Fill the snow sculpture with bird seed and watch the birds flock to it!

Make a snow sculpture winter bird feeder! | Fireflies and Mud Pies

Ice Bowl Bird Feeder
Pour about 1 cup of water into a large mixing bowl and freeze it outside overnight or in the freezer. When frozen, place a smaller mixing bowl inside of the larger one, on top of the ice. Place something heavy, like a bag of brown sugar, inside of the smaller bowl to weigh it down. Next, fill the space between the large bowl and small bowl with berries, leaves, small pine cones, twigs, and pine branches. Pour water over the decorations to the rim of the large bowl and freeze. When frozen, hold under warm water to release the bowls from the ice. Fill with bird seed and enjoy.

Ice Bowl Bird Feeder | Fireflies and Mud Pies

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Filed Under: Nature Activities, Winter Tagged With: birds

About Melissa Lennig

Melissa is a mom of two boys and a former Elementary School Counselor. She shares easy crafts, activities, recipes, and parenting tips on her blog, Fireflies and Mud Pies. Follow her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

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Comments

  1. Jessica says

    January 18, 2013 at 12:24 am

    You are so clever. I love these natural bird feeders. Have your boys yes been enjoying watching the birds?

    Reply
    • firefliesandmudpies says

      January 18, 2013 at 7:06 am

      Yes, they have! We haven’t had as large a variety in New Hampshire as we did in Northern Michigan at Camp’s lake, but they are still fun to watch!

      Reply
  2. Aleacia says

    January 20, 2013 at 9:38 pm

    I love that you used ice to make the bird feeders. I’ve been seeing a lot of feeders around using gelatin but I felt a bit weird using gelatin for birds, ice is a great alternative!

    Reply
  3. Tulip says

    January 21, 2013 at 1:43 pm

    Those are so cool! Thanks for sharing at Mom’s Library.

    Reply
  4. kitchencounterchronicles says

    January 22, 2013 at 9:09 am

    These are so lovely! I hope we have enough snow to make our very own bird bath style feeder. Thanks for sharing in at the Outdoor Play Party

    Reply
  5. Play Create Explore says

    January 24, 2013 at 9:22 pm

    Ohhh I just love this! Its beautiful!

    Reply
  6. Carliemae says

    August 31, 2016 at 1:56 am

    Loved the ice bird feeder idea. I would never have thought of that one. Just waiting for some snow now!!

    Reply

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