Winter seed balls for birds

How about a little recipe to help birds get through the cold weather?

Guaranteed palm oil and animal fat free!

And it smells so good you could almost put it in your breakfast bowl 🙂

An important preamble: only feed birds when it’s freezing – the hard ground prevents them from picking up small insects – or when the snow covers everything. This is to keep them self-sufficient, and essentially to provide them with the reserves they need to get through the cold weather.

You will need:
// a few well opened pine cones…
// 1 length of string made of natural material (hemp, linen)
Start by tying the string to one end of the spade…

Mix in a bowl:
// 1 tbsp softened coconut oil
// 2 tbsp sesame paste or peanut butter (no salt please, this is the tricky part)
// 1-2 tbsp organic seeds (oats, barley, spelt, millet, wheat, cracked corn, sunflower seeds, raisins)

Brush the pine cones with a spoon, making sure that the seed mixture is well wedged under the scales. Alternatively, simply roll the pine cone in the mixture, making sure to insert the seeds under the scales.

Leave to set outside or in the fridge for a while, then go and hang your pives from a tree branch or wherever you like, but in an open space, out of reach of predators of course – think of the cat!!!
You can also simply put your seed mixture in a dish, sheltered from the elements.

This should be renewed regularly during periods of extreme cold, so that the birds don’t get confused and remember where to come for yummies!

And for a 5-star option: provide them with a bowl of water to keep them hydrated, containing 2-3 drops of vegetable oil (rapeseed, sunflower, etc.) to keep them from freezing.