Decorating for Fall and Feeding the WildBirds

I am in the process of planning my Thanksgiving dinner which for us at home will be Monday evening since my hubby and me will be traveling to KY for the holiday. Part of Thanksgiving to me is also the decorations. It wouldn’t be normal in my house if we didn’t have fall decorations; I just love this time of year.

Decorating not only means in my house but also the yard, which could trees, porches, fences; whatever will hold something that I think looks like fall decoration for me to admire. Well I recently came across some directions for a wreath that is right up my alley.

I recently purchased the Homemade Bird Food Recipes e-book and in it was this recipe, at least that is what he calls it. Not only is it a recipe but in my opinion makes the perfect fall decoration. I am in the process of putting it together but wanted to share with everyone in case you would like to make one for yourself.

Here it is…Try it!
Natural Birdseed Wreath as written in the ebook

This is a great project to do with kids of any age. Getting children involved in birding is the best way to get them interested in nature.

When following the directions below, don’t be afraid to substitute any item for what is available to you. There are many ways to customize your wreath depending on the season or what items are available in your area. You can even make adjustments to attract different wild birds. I have attracted woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches and orioles, just to name a few.

In the fall you can use wild grain, corn, wild berries, wild grapes or even flowers like purple coneflowers or
sunflowers. In the spring and summer you can cover it with fresh fruit.

You will need:
Grape Vine Wreath – You can purchase these at your local
craft store for around $5.00. If you have access to grape
vines or willow branches, you can make your own.
• Florist wire
• Wild Grapes
• Mix of Tall Grass Seed Heads
• Purple Cone Flowers
• (2) Dried Sunflower Seed Heads

Step One:
Trim the leaves from the grape vines. Use the florist wire
to attach the grapes to the wreath. Spread the grapes out so
that they are all around the wreath.

Step Two:
Gather the grass seed and purple coneflower stems
together. Trim the stems about three inches longer than the
diameter of the wreath. Tie them together using the florist
wire.

Step Three:
Attach the grass and flowers to the wreath using the florist
wire. Arrange the swag so that the seed heads are hanging
down and resting on the wreath.

Step Four:
Use a nail to make two small holes in the sunflower seed
heads. Cut two pieces of florist wire about 10 inches long.
Push each end of the wire through the holes in the seed
head from the top. Then attach the seed heads to the bird
seed wreath on each side of the grass stems. Make a loop
using the wire and attach it to the back of the wreath to
make a hanger.

This is a really fun project that can easily be completed in an afternoon.

I’m off to go make mine. I will post a picture of the results if the birds do not devour it first!

If you decide to make this yourself, please let me know and share photos so I can share with everyone else.

Here is my attempts at creating a birdfood wreath for my backyard habitat…

Wreath for the Birds

As you can see I didn’t have any sunflower heads so I used oranges and apples covered in sunflower seeds; also a pine cone covered with peanut butter and cornmeal, along with berries I found in the woods. I also made some bird suet from shortening, bird seed, cornmeal, and oats and coated the upper edge of the wreath with it. The plumes of grasses coming out from it came from my field and I do not know the type. I saw birds frequenting them before I picked it so I assumed they would like it on the wreath.

Anyway, I think it looks pretty and I hope the birds enjoy it.

Tags: bird food wreath, wildbird recipe