This past weekend, we finally got around to a project I’ve been wanting to do for at least a year – pinecone bird feeders. It’s a simple project that you’ve probably seen before – one that you might have even done as a child – but with winter in full swing here, it’s one that’s needed to help our little bird friends. Plus, I knew the kids would love it.
I remember making pinecone bird feeders in elementary school – a time when we lived in an apartment and there was not a single tree we could actually claim as our own. But it didn’t matter. As an animal lover from the start, anything I could do to help in the winter always made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
As an adult, it still makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. And there is something about watching birds that’s peaceful, freeing and also almost meditative. There’s a simple joy in being able to give them something good at a time when they may be struggling.
Here’s what we used to make our pinecone bird feeders…
Pinecone Bird Feeder Supplies
- Pinecones – If you don’t have any trees nearby with pinecones you can actually buy them. We bought these ones {HERE} because we couldn’t find any that were thick enough or had well-developed needles. If you’re going to buy them somewhere else, just make sure they are real, unscented pinecones.
- Peanut Butter or Almond Butter
- Birdseed – You can find a big bag of wild bird seed {HERE}.
- White sunflower seeds – We ended up using multiple kinds
- Pepita seeds (pumpkin seeds)
- Dried cranberries – These are actually very good for birds. They contain antioxidants which a helpful for a bird’s immune system and copper, vitamin C, vitamin E and other various nutrients. We had these leftover from our Cranberry Shortbread Cookies over the holidays, so it was a perfect way to use up our extras.
- Raisins – Raisins are great for birds but not always great for dogs and cats so keep that in mind when placing your feeders.
- Additional dried fruit – We didn’t add anymore to our pinecone bird feeders but birds can eat most dried fruits. Just check Google if you want to yes something a little more unusual.
- Forks from the kitchen.
- String or twine
Steps for the Pinecone Bird Feeders
- Make sure your pinecones are clean and free of debris.
- Tie on the string tightly. I like to wrap it around the needles, tie it and then bring the ends up to tie the knot to hang.
- Using a fork, add the peanut butter to the needles of the pinecone.
- Sprinkle on whatever combination of yummy ingredients you like for the feathered friends!
- Hang in a place that’s safe for the birds. A place where cats and dogs can’t get them and ideally a spot where squirrels can’t reach too.
Thanks so much for visiting today, friends! I hope you enjoyed our pinecone bird feeder project and hope that you will come back again to visit Sugar Maple Farmhouse.
How cute! This looks like a fun craft idea and a great way to observe nature. I bet the birds will be happy too!
What a great idea. I’ll have to make these with my kids!
This is such a great idea. I would love to give this a try.
That looks a like a fun little project you did.
We make these all the time during the year. So much fun to watch how birds and squirrels work on them.
I would love to see more birds in our yard! Do you know which species of bird these feeders would likely attract? We are in the Midwest.
We make these with the 4-year-old and she loves it! They attract so many birds!
I remember making these as a kid, so much fun!
What cute bird feeders you made!
My kids always loved making these and watching the birds eat their creations! The birds always seemed to love it.
What a cute idea! I gotta try this out with my daughters!
I use to do this a lot when I was little. I loved it too. I need to do this in the summer with my daughters. We have so many pinecones around too.
Wow! This is really fun and great idea! I want to do this with my sons and wife.
Such a cute idea! Kids will love this. Can’t wait to share this on my social media.
They look so tasty for the birds! And your kids seem really happy with their creations. I’ll encourage my little ones to give it a try.
So cute! I don’t have birds but I’m definitely sharing this idea to my friends.
We love making DIY bird feeders in the spring!
My kids would love making these! We tried once but epically failed! Maybe we should try again!
Oh what a fun project for the kids! It will be great for them to watch and see the birds come visit
My kids desperately need a craft to do and these look like a lot of fun to make.
How cute and so much fun for kids to make and get engaged with nature. I’ll share this with my brother for his kids. Great idea.
This brings back childhood memories. 🙂
Your photos are beautiful!
What a cute idea! We have a lot of different kinds of birds around here. I’d love to try this.
My kids love making these for the birds. They are so easy and fun to make.
These are always so fun to make!
This is terrific and a great project for my husband and I can do with our grandchildren (6-year-old twins).
I LOVE these little pinecone feeders. They are a great project to work on with kids as well as enjoy nature as birds come and use them.
These are so cute and such a good idea for the kids to get involved with! They are so much more natural then normal plastic bird feeders!
This really brings me back to my childhood! What a fun idea for kids and a great way to feed the birds during wintertime.
I used to make these when I was little! It has been a really long time. I think this is something my kids would definitely enjoy doing.
I also do bird food at home, but never thought in using a pinecone.
Wow! This will be fun to make with my son! I will definitely share these pinecone bird feeders idea with him.
What a great idea, I would love to make this for my backyard, we just got a few birds to visit us
I’ve never thought about this, but it’s such a brilliant idea! I need to make some with my kids!
What a fun activity! Definitely need to add this to my to do list with my girls!
What a lovely D.I.Y project for the kids! They’ll have so much fun. Thank you for the detailed instruction guide.
These are really fun, kids will enjoy this. I need to try with my kids, as birds starts their migration after winter. we get see lot of them in our backyard.
What an an awesome activity for kids. We have some pin trees in the backyard and we end up having some HUGE pinecones. This would be great for when it warms up a little bit more.
Oh how fun! My kids would totally enjoy doing this.
We ave a cabinet or a basket for birds in our garden and my daughter loves watching the birds eating when our neighbours put the food in.
I love your posts! This DIY pinecone birdfeeder is awesome 🙂
I always loved doing this as a kid so definitely need to do it with mine!