Ripples of Joy
Home/Nature Basket/Pinecone Bird Feeder Basket
Pinecone Bird Feeder Basket
Nature Basket

Pinecone Bird Feeder Basket

Pinecones, peanut butter and a tray of birdseed. Fifteen sticky minutes, then a week of running to the window every morning to see who came.

This page may contain affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.

Ages 3-610 min prep

We collected the pinecones on a walk that had no purpose, which is how the best walks with a three-year-old go. They came home in a bag and sat in the porch for a week before I did anything with them.

The rolling in seed is the bit they love. It is properly messy and properly allowed, and a small child who is allowed to put both hands into a tray of birdseed is a happy one.

What I did not expect was the afterwards. Every morning for two weeks the first thing my daughter did was climb onto the sofa and check the branch. Nothing else we have made has held her attention that long.

Peanut butter on, seed tray waiting.
Peanut butter on, seed tray waiting.
Both hands in the seed tray. This is the part they came for.
Both hands in the seed tray. This is the part they came for.
Hanging on a branch we can see from the kitchen window.
Hanging on a branch we can see from the kitchen window.

What you'll need

  • Five or six open pinecones, collected on a walk and dried indoors overnight
  • Peanut butter, or sunflower seed butter if there are nut allergies about, plus lard or vegetable shortening for cold weather
  • A bag of birdseed, poured into a baking tray with a lip
  • Garden twine or string, cut into 30cm lengths before you start
  • A butter knife or a lolly stick for spreading, and an old spoon
  • A large tray or a newspaper under everything, and an apron
  • A ready-made wooden bird feeder kit, for the mornings nobody wants to get sticky
  • A bowl of warm soapy water for the hands afterwards - have this ready in advance, not after

Underlined items are affiliate links — if you buy through them I earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you 🙏

How to make it

  1. 1

    Tie a loop of twine around the top of each pinecone first, while it is still clean and easy to hold.

  2. 2

    Spread the tray with newspaper and pour a thick layer of birdseed into the baking tray.

  3. 3

    Let them spread peanut butter over the pinecone with a lolly stick, right down between the scales.

  4. 4

    Roll and press the sticky pinecone through the seed tray with both hands until it is completely coated.

  5. 5

    Lay the finished feeders on a plate and put them in the fridge for twenty minutes so they set firm.

  6. 6

    Choose the branch together. It needs to be visible from a window and out of reach of cats.

  7. 7

    Hang them, then come back inside and stay very still by the window for five minutes. Birds need the quiet.

  8. 8

    Check every morning and keep a tally by the window of who came - sparrow, blue tit, pigeon, squirrel.

Tip

Use lard or vegetable shortening instead of peanut butter in very cold weather - it holds the seed better and does not go rancid. Hang them somewhere you can see from inside, or the whole second half of this activity disappears.

Looking for everything we use?

Every product linked on this blog lives in one sorted place, with what it is, where we used it, and why I’d buy it again.

Browse Joy’s Recommendations →