Watching the local birds outside our window is a favorite late winter family activity. Treating the birds connects us to the wildlife that is still thriving even in the stillness of deep winter. Living in the Rocky Mountains, we cherish getting to see wildlife right outside our door. And we have to be careful about attracting the bears to areas we don’t really want them visiting frequently. So, we only hang these bird feeders up in the late winter when we know our bear friends are still hibernating, otherwise they would be on our porch helping themselves!

We hang the feeders outside a window on our front porch and then we get to snuggle up on the sofa and watch the birds flock to the feeders in a frenzy. The frequent crowd is usually chickadees, wood peckers, yellow flickers and a few squirrels. These also make a sweet valentine’s gift for the bird loving neighbors.

Ingredients:

1 c. flour
1/2 c. oats
1/2 c. small seeds, i.e. sunflower, pumpkin…
1/2 c. water
2 eggs
1/4 c. peanut butter

Supplies:

Mixing Bowl
Cookie Cutters
Chop Stick (for poking the holes)
Twine or Sturdy String

When I’m doing a project with my kids, I like to let me do as much of it as possible, even if it gets messy and imperfect. This is an excellent project to really let the kids take over, Its hard to mess it up, so let them have at it and have fun!

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients until incorporated evenly. Press into the cookie cutters firmly and smooth the tops. Insert the chop stick at the top of each shape where it will be hung with a string.

Bake in the oven for 25 mins.

Let cool and then thread the string through the hole.

Then… venture outdoors to find a spot to hang the feeders where you can enjoy watching the feast!