Birds can use an extra treat in winter and you, perhaps, a meaningful activity to get through the dark and wet days. In either case, this DIY is perfect: making fat balls for birds. We explain how to do it!
Help the birds in the garden with your DIY fat balls
A garden full of birds, nothing is as cosy as a flock of twittering birds in your garden. Not only is it cosy, but birds are hugely important for the balance of nature. For instance, birds are important for keeping the number of insects in check. In fact, birds eat 400-500 million tonnes of insects a year! Insects are an important source of protein-rich food for birds. As such, insects and insect-eaters should be in balance with each other. Also, birds are important for pollination of about 5% of plants worldwide. Moreover, birds ensure the distribution of seeds from berries that they eat through their poop. So birds are essential for the survival of various ecosystems. All the more reason to take good care of birds.
Making your own fat balls; a fun and useful craft activity.
This is how to help birds in the garden
You can help birds by making sure there is plenty of food and water, but birds can also appreciate places to hide and places to breed. Each bird needs something different, which is why variety in planting is also important. In addition, you may feed birds supplementary food throughout the year, said the Bird Conservancy. In autumn they are looking for food to build up their reserves for the winter, in winter some extra energy is important to stay warm, and in spring they need the strength to lay eggs and raise their young. Each phase requires different nutrients. For example, against the cold, birds need more fat, in spring and summer they need more protein and calcium. You don't need to worry that you are giving the birds too much food or that they are now getting too lazy to look for themselves. Birds are sensible eaters and will always look for a varied menu. We can sometimes learn from that! Want to know more? We previously wrote an article how to help birds in the garden and how to help garden animals in winter (spoiler: do little).
Supplementary feeding birds? Think about this!
- Do not feed products that contain salt (so not too much bread, not the peanut butter from your pantry but special bird peanut butter, no leftover cheese or sausage!)
- Do not use fat balls or peanuts in a net. Besides the fact that birds can get tangled in them, it also creates unnecessary plastic waste.
- Don't put down too much food as it can also attract pests or get wet and thus spoil.
- Do not hang feeders or silos too close to the window, as this will prevent them from flying into the window if they panic.
- Do not hang fat balls in the sun as they may melt!
Tip: you can take a free ‘Garden birds of the Netherlands’ course at the Vogelbescherming. Nice, so you will soon be able to easily recognise the birds that come and visit your garden.
How to do it: make fat balls for birds
Tools
- deep-frying fat or coconut oil(As fat for the fat balls, you can use unused frying fat or coconut oil. Do not use butter, which has a laxative effect on the birds).
- seed mix
- moulds: cupcake moulds, biscuit moulds, empty milk or juice carton
- cup, empty tin or glass jar
- squeezed orange peel
- rope
- skewer
- newspaper or baking paper to protect your worktop
Instructions
- Heat the frying fat or coconut oil until it is soft. Mix the seed mix into the oil. The ratio is about 1 to 1. Mix the seeds well into the oil.
- When using biscuit cutters. Place the moulds on the baking sheet. Spoon the mixture into the moulds and leave to cool. As the moulds are open at the bottom, it is best to let your seed mixture cool a little first so that the coconut oil is no longer too runny. Use a skewer or a knitting pin to make a hole. Do this when it is still a bit soft. When the coconut oil has hardened completely, it's a bit trickier. When it has hardened completely, you can remove it from the mould. If you can't get the fat out of the mould properly, run some warm water over it and you'll get them out in no time! Thread a string through the hole and they are ready to hang up! Tip: if you use a cupcake tin, you can easily make many fat balls in one go!
- Cups: spoon the seed mixture into a cup. Insert a stick directly opposite the ear (see main photo for example). When the fat has solidified, thread a string through the ear and you can hang it up like this. The little birds can sit on the stick. Tip: Use nice vintage cups from the thrift shop, or that one cute cup that has a piece off, but is still too nice to throw away.
- Cans or glass jars: Fill the glass or can with the mixture. To hang them, it is best to use a peanut butter pot holder for birds.
- When I saw the orange fat balls on Instagram, I wanted to make these too! I squeezed some oranges and used the squeezed halves. First, let the peels dry for about 2 days. Otherwise, the peel will be too soft and tear out when you tie a string to it. Using a skewer, I made 4 holes in the peel crosswise (not too close to the edge!) and tied a string to it. Fill with the mixture and you're done! You could also pierce skewers diagonally through them and then tie a string to them. Another option is to just place them like that in your birdhouse.
More sustainable tips from thegreenlist.nl
- Also nice for the garden: this DIY plant pendant from old t-shirts.
- Do you already have your vegetable garden planning in place? In this article you will find the best tips.
- Want to eat your own strawberries this summer? We offer first aid for growing strawberries!
Source: bird protection Netherlands. Photo credits: great tit: Phil Mitchell (Pexels), other photos: Melanie de Oliveira.
