While most of our northern bird friends fly south for the winter (as would I if given half the chance), some of our bird friends stay put and wait out the long, cold winter with us. Chickadees, Cardinals, owls and many others are the brave souls you’ll see fluttering around your yard this winter. Finding food in the winter is a much larger task than in the summer months, as snow covers the ground and not as many people venture out to re-fill their bird feeder.

Once Christmas is past and your tree is starting to look dried out, here is a suggestion: decorate the same tree, but outdoors for the birds! Robin from the blog The Robin’s Nest shared a great example of just how to decorate a Christmas tree for the birds. We’ll share a few photos and ideas from her blog, but then head on over to her site to view more!

(Photo: Robin Beck)

A few examples of decor she created for the tree were peanut and berry garland, bird seed ornaments and purchased bird houses. A few tips she shares:

• Use wire for the garland instead of string. The birds will bite through the string and take it with them otherwise.
• You can buy square-shaped bird seed chunks and then turn them into a present with raffia. Otherwise you can find bell-shaded ones at this time of year, or make your own from these diy instructions.
• Add bare sticks throughout the tree for birds to perch on.
• Tie everything to the tree with wire and zip ties. Squirrels also will love the tree and will tend to run up and down – easily knocking things off the tree if items are not secured.

(Photos: Robin Beck)

Happy Weekend!