Although we have all been enjoying the cold and snowy weather, this week at Club Wild we were thinking about all the wildlife who need a helping hand through the winter.
We all got our hands greasy making pine cone feeders for the birds. Our recipe consisted of 1 block of lard/packet of vegetable suet mixed with cups of porridge oats, raisins, grated cheese, bird seed and meal worms. The fat mixture made our hands soft. Once mixed together we smeared it on the pine cones and attached string for hanging.
Our next task involved helping the birds in a different way. We looked at a video of a blackbird having a bath in a puddle and thought of why birds would need to have a bath. To be able to fly they need to keep their feathers in tip-top condition. Freya wondered how the birds drink when all the water is either frozen as ice or snow. To help them we made three bird baths in the bird feeding area.
We raised shallow dishes off the ground by placing three bricks under them, then placed rocks in the middle so the water would not freeze so easily and to give the birds a perch. We were all impressed with Aiden and Oscar’s bird bath as they made a ramp up the side for any injured birds or hedgehogs.
Look out for more bird adventures next week as we take part in the RSPB Big Schools Birdwatch.
