It is amazing how much our world changes, from season to season! Winter seems to bring the most extreme of shifts- our bird populations shift, our trees lose their leaves, our flowers die back, and our animals become scarce. Snow will soon begin replacing the grass on the ground and our once luscious lawns become a frozen tundra. Even though the summer tropical migratory birds have long left, we still have some vibrant native species that stick around. I have a large lilac bush in my back yard, and in the winter, I love to look out my kitchen window and see it speckled with red cardinals and blue jays. I always have the feeders stocked in the late winter, and the birds show their appreciation by giving me a colorful display against the white canvas of snow.

Although birds have been foraging for centuries, I still like to do my part and give them a nice, late winter pick-me-up. I started making birdseed ornaments a couple of years ago, and they have been a hit in my back yard ever since! Also, they are fun and easy to make, so it is an enjoyable activity for my sons and I to do on snow days. I use a super simple recipe of unflavored gelatin and bird seed (small seed birdseed-it seems to hold together better)! That is it. Just mix them together and smush the mixture into a mold. I use silicone molds with a hole in the center, that way I can just run some twine though the middle and hang the food anywhere! You can use any mold you would like, but if it does not have a hole, don’t forget to push a straw through to create a gap for your tie. After filling your mold of choice, you let the mold dry overnight. After the mold is set, you pop out your ornament and hang it out for the birds. The silicone molds make this last part of the process a breeze since they are so malleable. Occasionally, the ornaments will split upon release, and when this happens, I just set to broken pieces out on a rock and the chipmunks and squirrels are very appreciative!

Attend our annual "Bird Seed Workshop"

When: February 7th, 4-6pm

Where: Clary Gardens

Cost: $15 (includes silicone mold & 1 created birdseed ornament)

Join us on Tuesday, February 7th from 4-6pm for our birdseed workshop! We will be making birdseed ornaments as well as other natural birdseed feeders that can be used outside during these months when food for our native birds is scarce.