Backyard Bagel Bird Feeder

You may not be an avid bird watcher, climbing mountains with your binoculars to catch a glimpse of a rare breed, but that doesnt mean you cant enjoy the fluttering beauties in your own backyard. You dont have to wait and see what birds might happen by; make a bird feeder for your yard and theyll come running - or flying, rather. All youll have to do is sit back and enjoy their beauty, but you might as well know, the birds will love this feeder so much that youll have to make another and another! Keep in mind that, once you begin feeding birds they become dependent on the food, so its a good idea to continue feeding them year-round, once youve started the trend.

The backyard bagel bird feeder is a fabulous project for kids. Even really young kids can make the easy feeder which hangs in a tree and entices birds of all sorts. Theyll flock to your yard once they get a whiff of the food thats just waiting for them. Once you hang the finished feeder all youll have to do is sit back and enjoy the huge variety of birds which flock from miles away.

To start the project all you will need is a bagel. You can use a regular bagel, blueberry one or another type. Some bagels arent ideal, though, like a garlic or onion bagel. Birds are attracted to the breads but not ones with strong odors like onions. Its best if you use a bagel which is somewhat dried out but not crumbly. A stale bagel works best, though. Cut a piece of ribbon to 24" long. Slide one end of the ribbon through the hole of a half-bagel, bring the ends together, then tie in a knot. This will create the hanger for the bagel bird feeder. You can make the ribbon larger or smaller, depending upon where you want to hang it, and you can use wide or narrow ribbon of any color. In fact, you can use other materials if you have no ribbon, such as twine, yarn or even pliable wire. Make one type of hanging bagel feeder by simply spreading crunchy peanut butter on the flat side of a half of a bagel. Birds love the peanut butter and the nuts embedded in it. Make a different bird feeder by spreading the bagel with regular peanut butter. Now turn the peanut butter side down into a pile of birdseed. You can use birdseed thats known to draw particular species of birds or you can use a general birdseed mix sold at most any discount department store. Make still a different recipe by using the crunchy peanut butter and covering it with birdseed. You can make either type of peanut butter easier to spread on the bagel by mixing in a teaspoon of ordinary shortening. Mix the peanut butter and shortening together well, spread on the bagel, then turn the peanut butter side down on a pile of birdseed. After the peanut butter and seed have dried well (about 24 hours) you can then cover the other side with peanut butter and birdseed. Or, you can hang the bagel as-is with only one side covered in peanut butter and birdseed. Whether youre covering one or both sides there are other things you can mix in with the birdseed. For example, you can stick a few raisins to the peanut butter, then add the birdseed, to give birds a special treat. Other dried fruit pieces, like tiny apple pieces, dried peach pieces and similar fruits can be used along with the bagel, peanut butter and birdseed. You can also press in walnut or pecan pieces, pretzels pieces, corn chips, sunflower seeds and similar foods (Note: never place the feeder where small children can reach it). You can make more than one bagel at a time and place them in the freezer, if you want. That way, when the hanging bagel is almost gone, you can simply thaw out another then hang it for the birds. The finished bird feeder can hang from a tree branch, a porch railing, or a deck ceiling. It will attract a wide variety of birds that will keep coming back for more, day after day, season after season. For around five bucks you can make a whole pack of the unique bird feeders and keep the local birds happy for a long time to come!