Birdwatching: How to Set-Up a Bird Feeding Station

Alexie loves birds.

She always has. Especially flamingos. Not that we get many flamingos up here in northern Ontario, Canada. But a girl can dream, can’t she?

We decided that with spring approaching, it would be the perfect time to set up a bird-feeding station in our front yard, so we could do a little bird watching. It was simple enough to do.

First, we set up our front yard. To do that, we had make a few things first.

Alexie’s last birthday party was actually bird-themed (we said she liked birds, right?) and as guest favours we gave out these little wooden bird house sets we got from the dollar store. They cost a $1.25 and came with paint and a brush. It was perfect for the party and we happened to have 2 extras leftover. So we pulled them out and let the kids paint them.

Then we made some simple bird feeders. We used some old toilet paper tubes (yah for free craft supplies), peanut butter, bird seed and ribbon. They were super quick to make and easy to hang.

After hanging everything up in the trees in our front yard, making sure that they were in view of our picture window, we got to work setting up things inside.

It’s still pretty chilly up here, and will be for several more weeks. So we set up in our home so we can enjoy the birds, while staying warm. By the window we kept some kid-sized binoculars (Stéphane’s from when he was little) and a few bird books.

It’s really a simple set up, but the girls have really enjoyed checking the feeders and seeing the birds that have been flying by the windows. And the occasional squirrel.