When was the last time you had the opportunity to lunch with a robin? Garden with a sparrow? Have tea with a chickadee? Invite the birds in your neighbourhood to come and “hang out for awhile” with our honey bird seed feed! Here at honibe® not only are we passionate about our products, including our honibe® all natural, specialty liquid and creamed honey, but we are also committed to preserving the wildlife, including the birds, bees and butterflies, that help make our products so delicious.
Not only is having birds in your backyard entertaining, there are also tons of other benefits of supporting your backyard ecosystem.
Here are our 5 favourite perks of being a backyard birder:
- Education: Do you know how to identify a sparrow or a warbler? Do you know that many birds’ plumage changes with the season? Do you know which birds migrate south for the winter and which stick around at home? Observing and taking notes about your backyard friends will help you make all kinds of bird discoveries! You can use identifying guides on the internet or from your local library to help you distinguish different species of birds.
- Pest control: Is your backyard being overrun by mosquitoes and other creepy crawlies like ants or centipedes? Birds help keep the bug population under control.
- Pollination: As awesome as bees are at pollinating, they can’t do it alone. Birds are a big help when it comes to getting the job of pollinating done. Hummingbirds, sunbirds, honeycreepers and honeyeaters are some of the best feathered pollinators around!
- Stress relief: Whether you are gardening, playing a game of catch, or enjoying a good book on your patio the song of a chickadee or sparrow will always make the activity even more enjoyable. Chances are if you set up your backyard to be bird friendly and inviting you are going to want to spend more time outside giving you a healthy dose of fresh air and vitamin D!
- Wildlife conservation: As more and more trees are cut down and forests are covered with concrete, natural habitats for birds are disappearing. Setting up a bird friendly backyard garden and providing food and drink for your feathered friends helps with wildlife conservation. You can feel great about doing your part for your local ecosystem.
Do you want to encourage birds to come to your backyard and stay awhile? Whip them up this delicious honey filled treat to encourage your feathered friends to come back time and time again!
Honey Bird Seed Feed:
Ingredients:
1 cup of birdseed
½ cup of honibe honey
1 tablespoon of corn starch (optional, this will thicken your mixture and help hold it together)
2 tablespoons of peanut butter (optional, this also helps to thicken your mixture)
Materials:
6 muffin liners (We like the silicone ones to avoid sticking)
Saucepan
Spoon
Bird feeder (We used a mesh strainer tied up with baker’s twine)
Directions:
Step 1: In a small saucepan combine bird seed and honey. Stir to combine.
Step 2: If you’d like a more solid “honey bird seed feed puck” add corn starch and peanut butter. Stir to combine.
Step 3: Spoon bird seed mixture into muffin liners, packing firmly.
Step 4: Put “honey bird seed feed pucks” into freezer to set. Allow to freeze for at least 30 minutes.
Step 5: Remove “honey bird seed feed pucks” from the muffin liners, place them in your bird feeder and put outdoors. If you don’t have a bird feeder you can use a mesh strainer, a pie plate or even a tea cup set in a secure location. Store extra “honey bird seed feed pucks” in the freezer.
Tip: If you live in a rainy environment, use a mesh strainer for your bird feeder. Drill holes into the outer ring of the strainer and hang using baker’s twine. The mesh strainer will keep the seeds in but allow the rain to drain out.
Don’t forget to leave out a bit of water for your new friends to sip with their lunch!