Making pinecone bird feeders was a great opportunity to get out of the cold and still interact with the outdoors. Chestnuthill Township held two bird feeder making sessions, with 26 people signing up for the first session and 14 for the second one.

“We’ve been running this program for three years. We’re looking to fill a void in the winter months and educate people about birds in the Poconos. We want to explain why backyard birds are important,” said Steve Baade, Parks Project Coordinator.

As food is scarce in the winter it’s a perfect time to make backyard feeders. The large pine cones were gathered from a Pine tree belonging to a township supervisor.

Baade showed a slideshow and explained about bird’s anatomy and related eating habits.

Cheerios and bird seed were available to put on the pinecone feeders. Peanut butter was spread on the pine cones, not only to hold the seed or Cheerios, but because it’s high in protein.

Five-year-old Theodore Schwarz chose bird seed over Cheerios explaining, “The birds don’t want to eat Cheerios. I said,” Birds come get Cheerios and they didn’t listen.”

Pennsylvania’s different birds were explained; game birds, birds of prey, song birds and other woodland birds. Molting, getting rid of old feathers and generating new ones, doesn’t occur in the winter as it takes too much energy.

Birds, other than the song sparrow, don’t sing in the winter to also conserve energy.

When asked where she was going to put the feeder, 5-year-old Hannah Gorski explained, “We put them where mommy wants them,” giving Nana Cyndi Kossyk a laugh.

After tying a rope for hanging the feeder, things to consider when hanging were explained.

Everyone was advised to hang where it is safe from predators, has sunlight exposure, and is a good distance from the window for visibility.

This fun activity had everyone smiling and will continue to bring smiles as feeders are hung and everyone can see the birds enjoying a nice homemade meal.