Want To Attract More Birds To Your Yard? Try This Easy Popsicle Stick Hack

In an increasingly screen-reliant world, breaking away from technology and engaging with the natural world are essential. Thankfully, this can be as easy as looking out your window. Offering birds a food source is a simple way to bring nature closer, while also supporting an essential part of our ecosystem. Birds keep the insect population under control, and they join bees and butterflies as pollinators, ensuring that essential plants continue to thrive. Even their poop serves as valuable fertilizer and transports seeds that carry on the lifeline of plants that may otherwise die out. In other words: happy birds, happy world. 

If you've weighed the options of installing a bird feeder versus a bird house and opted for a feeder, try this easy popsicle hack that will have you delighting in winged visitors in no time. All you need are popsicle sticks, hot glue, and string (like jute). You'll need to start by gluing 12 sticks side by side to create the base of the feeder, and build it up from there with old popsicle sticks.

By providing a feeder, you can attract birds to your yard. Birds depend on feeders during the winter when their natural food sources are scarce and when they need the extra calories. Be consistent about keeping the feeder stocked since your regulars will come to rely on it. Birds also love spaces with a water source, whether in small bowls or a bird bath; make sure the water is fresh, since dirty water can be unhealthy for our feathered friends.Figure out which birds are in your area and their food preferences.

To begin building up the walls of the feeder, glue one stick across the ends of the 12 popsicle sticks, and another on the opposite end. You should also glue a stick perpendicular to one wall, with one half sticking out of the feeder to serve as a stand for the birds. Glue another stick in the opposite direction if you want to offer two perches. From there, alternate the placement of additional sticks around the base of the feeder until the walls are your desired height. Tie four strands of jute to each corner of the feeder, and then tie all the strings into a knot for hanging.

To keep seeds from falling through the cracks, tuck a plastic container into the feeder to hold the food. This also makes cleaning and refilling much easier. Hang the feeder under a covered area so the food stays dry. The best spot is either less than 3 feet or more than 30 feet from a window to keep them from crashing into your windows. Also, if you want to keep squirrels and other critters away, hang the feeder at least 10 feet from a tree or other structure that animals can use as a launch pad. 

If you're just starting out, black oil sunflower and seed mixes are ideal offerings because they attract a wide range of birds. You could even grow black thistle bird seed, offering birds food straight from the pods. Regardless of what you offer, seeds can sprout if they fall to the ground, but you can always stop them from germinating altogether.