Once the Halloween festivities are over, lots of jack-o’-lanterns lie forgotten on doorsteps and front porches. Instead of leaving your gourds to rot, consider trying this craft from the National Audubon Society to upcycle your pumpkin into a festive treat for local birds.
Materials
- Small or medium pumpkin (up to 10 pounds)
- Four small sticks or dowel rods cut to approximately the diameter of your pumpkin
- Two thumbtacks
- Eight lengths of twine or rope, each about 2 feet long
- Organic birdseed
Directions
- Cut the pumpkin in half and use a spoon to scoop out any remaining seeds. The pumpkin shell should be at least a 1/2-inch thick.
- Push a stick into each side of a pumpkin half near the rim, directly across from each other, to create perches. The sticks should extend mostly outside the pumpkin. Do the same with the other pumpkin half.
- Knot the ends of two rope lengths together; repeat with remaining rope pieces to get four 4-foot lengths. Use a thumbtack to tack two knots to the bottom of each pumpkin half.
- Fill the hollow pumpkin halves with birdseed and tie the loose ends of rope together. Be sure the knots are secure enough to hold the weight of your feeders.
- Hang your birdfeeders. Try to pick a location either closer than 3 feet to a window or farther than 10 feet away from one so birds don’t collide with the windows. To discourage squirrels, position your feeders at least 6 feet off the ground and at least 10 feet from nearby trees.
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