Each year around Thanksgiving, a gal pal of mine heads to warmer parts of the world for the winter, and a few days prior to her departure we do a little nature-y, garden lover’s gift exchange. One sweet thing I received from her was this bird hive roosting pocket.
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| ©Linda Nelson 2016 |
Isn’t it adorable? I hung it just outside my dining room window so that I will have the perfect view of my feathered little buddies taking shelter when those blustery winter winds arrive. My bird feeders are also close by, making it convenient to fill them up and watch the feeding action.
Now, you’d think that I’d just leave it at that; however, that’s not my style. Nope, the gears in the brain start turning, and the hands, heart and soul start creating. That’s been a Linda trait as far back as I can remember. I needed to make a roosting pocket, and I was going to call it a “backyard bird cozy”. So, that’s what I did. I scavenged my garage for some materials and this is what I made.
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| ©Linda Nelson 2016 |
The tin was a yard sale find from this past summer, and the faux grass mat was a sample piece from one of my landscape supply vendors. I wouldn’t be surprised if a squirrel tries to stuff its fat little body in there. My squirrels are “shapely” because I don’t bother deterring them from the bird feeders.
Then, while rummaging through one of my fabric bins, I came across a sleeve from a wool sweater I felted a few years back. I paired it with a dollar store child’s megaphone (they’re great mannequins for making cone templates!) and…….Voila! Another little bird cozy was born.
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| ©Linda Nelson 2016 |
Hey there moms, winter break is not too far off; this would be a neat activity to keep your kids occupied…….. at least, for a little while.
I’m not sure about leaving them up during the summer; they could become hornet or wasp cozies! But that’s too far into the future for me to think about. First, I’ve got to get through snow shoveling season.
These are great! I feed the hummingbird during warm weather but I should make some of these cozies for the birds who don't migrate. Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday.
Thank you, Donna. It's a great way to repurpose arbitrary junk 🙂
Hi Linda, word will surely get out in the bird world that you have the coziest cottages for your fine feathered friends. Those are some great ideas..I just may have to tackle one myself. Thanks for the ideas.
Hugs, LYnn
That is such a cute idea Linda. They look perfect for the squirrels and other sweet animals to hide in. But not the wasps. No, they don't need any encouragement at all. I had found a wasps nest on the back of a picture frame under the paper. That was pretty frightening. So let's not enocurage them.
Thank you for your sweet comment, Lynn 🙂
I agree, Mary, it's not fun finding wasp nests in uninvited places. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Love these. Do the birds actually use them? I'll have to try one to find out!
I think chickadees are the most likely to be curious enough to check them out. I threw a pinch of bird seed inside the tin one; within a day the seed was consumed. As with a pot of water, if you stare at it, it will never boil 😀
I love these! What a perfect project for a cold day…
🙂