Chickadee Treats

I was browsing through a magazine while having my hair done Friday and ran across an idea that I thought 

would be fun to do with the grandkids -- making bird treats!  How simple and easy, something that wouldn't be too involved and would keep their attention.  As I knew Ian and Kohler were coming in the afternoon, I stopped off at Walmart and picked up some wild bird seed.  When they arrived I told them I had a very special activity planned and hoped they would help me.  I told them what we were going to do and they were excited to make a treat for our little feathered friends.

First we needed a bowl to mix the simple ingredients in:

3/4 c. birdseed

1 Tbsp. flour

2 Tbsp. water

I got out the cookie cutters and we each picked out one.  As Ian stirred everything together, I sprayed the cookie cutters with Pam so the seed mixture wouldn't stick to them.  We placed the cookie cutters on a foil lined cookie sheet and Kerri helped the boys pack them with the mix.  Straws were poked in each one near the top to make a hole for the hanger.  Then we placed them in the oven to bake at 170 degrees for a hour or until they were hard.

Kerri and the boys headed home with the promise that as soon as the treats were baked and cooled, I would bring them over so they could add string and hang them outside

As it was too late in the day to hang mine when I returned home, I had to wait until the next day.  I hung my treats on the cherry bushes and impatiently waited, hoping for visitors.  It wasn't too long before I noticed a couple of little Chickadee's scratching around beneath the bushes.  Apparently as I hung the treats some seeds had been knocked to the ground.  Would they find the hanging treat, I wondered.  Yep!  It wasn't long before one flitted up on to branches and discovered the treats.  They would peck at it and then hop down to eat whatever had fallen to the ground.

I was so excited and grabbed my camera.  Sorry to say, but I couldn't get a close up outside.  They would fly off when I tried to sneak up on them so the picture is taken from inside the house.  All you can really see is one of the little birds at the edge of the snow.

The boys came over later that day and enjoyed sneaking up to the window and watching the little Chickadee's feasting on the treats they had made.  The birds frequent the treats often and a couple of them have even become a little territorial.  Such a simple activity, but how much joy it has brought to each of us as we continually check to see if "our" treats are still there and what new birds they may have attracted.