Most of you probably have heard of this, but I thought I'd bring it up anyway. Yeterday, I watched my wife and 3 year old grandson making bird feeders by taking a pine cone and packing the spaces between the wooden "petals" with peanut butter and then rolling the sticking lump in birdseed. They hung several of theses using pieces of yarn in my weeping willow tree. This morning, there were more birds in the willow than there were leaves on the branches and by evening all the food had been completely removed from the cones. The results were the best I've ever seen! You can reuse the pine cones or just throw them away after they are empty. Much cheaper than buying $30 tube feeders from the bird store.

That's really cool. I may have to go on a pine cone hunt. I wouldn't have to worry about anyone stealing those bird feeders.

We are in Middle Tennessee and most of our neighbors have White Pines. Those have very large roomy cones that are GREAT for the feeders and also are great for decorating. The neighbors are always complaining about the cones littering up their yards and tell us to help ourselves anytime. My wife also paints the petals with different colors of glitter glue and gets instant Christmas tree ornaments (No peanut butter added).

That is a neat idea, Thornius! I will have to try that with my grandchildren when they come to visit.

Could you answer a question for me? Do weeping willows "harbor" mosquitoes? Do you have more mosquitoes because of the tree in particular?

Dianna

We've done that before too. Birds love the peanut butter. I heard or read somewhere that we're not supposed to feed birds in the spring and summer. Is that true?

I have mosquitoes but no more than any other area. Weeping Willows prefer wet soil and so do mosquitoes, so where you you find weeping willows you are going to find more mosquitoes usually, but weeping willows do not cause mosquitoes.
It is fine and even recommended to feed birds year round. It makes the parent birds' job much more easier to feed the babies, if you provide a steady and abundant source of food for them. Also I use an old suet cage and stuff it with dryer lint and wisps of hair (my hair is down to my waist although I am a 53 year old Male). I hang this with my feeders and the birds take the material to help build their nests. Also provide a bird bath for drinking and bathing. You should soon be overrun weith birds of many species. I even have Great Blue Herons and Canada Geese fly over from time to time and I live 5 miles from the closest large body of water.

I tried the pinecone feeder myself, and all i got was an upside-down squirrel who ate everything! At least he wasn't up there trying to break my plastic feeder. LOL