The Great Backyard Bird Count

Photo by Lip Kee

Have you participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count before? This is a great opportunity to teach your kids about birds (and maybe learn a little bit yourself!), build a bird feeder and just get outside and play.

Check out the Bird Source website for more information on how to participate in your own backyard. There are also a few events in the area to check out. You can even print out a neat participation certificate for your kids.

This sounds like such a fun weekend activity. I'm looking forward to getting outside and doing a little bird watching with my kiddos. We might even get all fancy and make this cool bird house.

Easy Bird Feeder

I've been wanting to make a pine cone (or pie corn as Finley calls them!) bird feeder with Finley for the past few weeks but every time we go out for a walk all I find is soggy, wet pine cones. (Not really a surprise, it's October in the northwest after all.)

I was pretty excited when I found this on Pinterest this morning. Yeah!

Bird seed? Check! Natural peanut butter (only the best for these birdies!)? Check! Paper towel roll? Check! (Well, check after I took all the paper towels off the roll. Note to self - keep the toilet paper and paper towel rolls instead of recycling them!)

Let's get to it...

Slather on that PB!

Do a taste test just to make sure the birds are going to like it.

Roll away...

And roll some more.

The best part? No string required! Just put it right on a tree branch!

Last step, enjoy the fall colors, run around a bit and do some fishing. (In other words, scare the birds away from the cool bird feeder you just made!)