During the winter, as temperatures drop, important resources like food are depleted for birds and other wildlife. Making bird seed wreaths and ornaments can be a fun holiday project for you and your family and will keep the birds on your property fed all winter long. There are a few different recipes you can choose from, but for this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

  • Form-Bundt cake pan – you can use a full-sized pan to make one large wreath or mini-Bundt pans to make multiple small wreaths. You can also use Christmas cookie cutters for ornaments if desired!
  • 4 cups bird seed – choose a variety that caters to the birds in your region
  • Cranberries, or other dried fruits
  • 1 and ½ packets of unflavored gelatin
  • ½ cup warm water
  • ⅓ cup corn starch
  • 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • Non-stick cooking spray
  • Ribbon or string for hanging

Firstly, in a medium sized pan and on medium heat, whisk together warm water and gelatin until it dissolves. Then add corn syrup and cornstarch and whisk until it forms a thick paste. Remove from heat and mix in birdseed. Spray your form with nonstick spray and arrange the dried fruit in the pan how you’d like it to look on the front of the wreath. Fill the form with the birdseed mixture, making sure to pack it down tightly so it will hold together. Once the pan is filled and packed down, put the pan in the fridge until your wreath is hard to the touch, about an hour. Now you can flip the pan over and carefully remove the wreath or wreaths, tie the string through the hole, and hang it up for the birds to enjoy! You can use this same recipe to make ornaments as well. Instead of filling up a form, choose some fun, festive holiday shaped cookie cutters and fill those instead. Make sure to add holes in the ornaments for strings before they harden. Hang your wreaths and ornaments for your backyard birds to enjoy or give them away as gifts and party favors too!

The corn syrup is mostly for larger wreaths, in order to hold them together. Smaller ones do not need it and there are some alternatives to using corn syrup, if desired. Instead, you can use rendered suet blocks, peanut butter or other natural butters, or unflavored gelatin. Take some photos and share your creations with us! Happy birding!