There’s no need to be wasteful, there’s a chance your Christmas tree will be a new home for birds in your backyard! Made of natural materials, your tree will also be biodegradable, unlike most Christmas tree alternatives made of plastic, metal, and other non-biodegradable materials. The cards will appreciate your backyard donation!
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Check PriceBenefits of Christmas Trees for Backyard Birds
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When the winter weather gets tough, birds need shelter as well as food. A Christmas tree that has been thrown away becomes instant cover that birds know and trust. The sheltering branches protect birds from tearing winds, sleet, and snow and provide a safe place to sit between trips to your feeders.
During winter months, cardinals, chickadees, juncos, sparrows, and finches are especially attracted to evergreen coverage. The branches mimic the shelter they would naturally seek in the spruce, pine, or fir trees and provide them a place to preen, rest, and observe. The evergreen's shape and colour blend into the backyard landscape, ensuring the birds enough security to stay instead of taking from the feeders.
There is an environmental benefit as well! Instead of just going to a landfill to take up space and decompose, your tree gains a new purpose supporting local wildlife! It creates real value for birds who are trying to survive the coldest months of the year.
Step One: Prepare Your Tree for Safe and Cozy Cover Outdoors
The tree needs to be placed where birds already feel comfortable. Your best bet would be where birds feel comfortable feed 10-15 feet from your current feeders. Place it so it is not an easy access launching pad for predators like hawks and neighborhood cats. Look for an area with natural windbreaks such as a fence, hedge or the side of your house.
Tree storage is easy and there are a few different options. You can set it upright by putting a strong pole or rebar vertically in the ground and tying one side of the trunk to the pole using wire or rope and securing the other side to the fence in a leaning position. Some people choose to put the tree in a horizontal position in a safe area of the yard and this is great for attracting birds like juncos and towhees that feed on the ground. If there is snow, it's possible to fill the area where the tree sits horizontally with snow to keep it from moving.
All kinds of real Christmas trees are great for this project—spruce, fir, and pine all work. Please double check that the tree is free from any chemical sprays, tinsel, artificial snow, and flocking as these can be harmful to birds. Lastly, give the tree a shake to remove any remaining hooks, ornament hangers, or decorations.
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Placement of the densest branches facing the prevailing wind direction will help create a natural windbreak and shelter for birds. It is likely you will see some visitors scouting the site within a few hours of having it bird friendly.
Make a "Bird Buffet" Using Simple, Bird-Safe Treats
Now that your tree is set up, you can turn it into an edible winter wonderland. Making homemade bird treats is simple and much healthier than many store-bought options. Consider your tree a natural feeder with perches.
Bird lovers enjoy making mock suet feeders. These are made by melting down some lard or other type of fat and mixing it with birdseed, dried fruit, or chopped nuts. The mixture is poured into muffin tins or cookie cutters and is then solidified in the freezer. Once hardened, bird feeders can be mounted by tying them with twine to tree branches. Woodpecker, nuthatch, and chickadee feeders are fun to watch as they work these treats all day long.
There’s a great reason why peanut butter pinecones are a classic. Simply spread natural, unsalted peanut butter on the pine cone, roll it in bird seed, and hang it throughout the tree. They'll attract a variety of species and weather the cold well!
Citrus fruit slices attract unusual visitors. To create citrus fruit mini feeders, cut oranges or grapefruits in half and put them on branches or skewer them on twigs. Your mini feeders will be a winter delight for orioles (in warmer regions), waxwings, and even robins.
Seed cakes and garlands are visually pleasing and nutritious for birds. To make your own, you can use biodegradable twine to string together unsalted popcorn, cranberries, and cheerios. You can also use birdseed mixed with gelatin to fill star or heart-shaped molds. Once completed, make sure to hang them in locations that are easily accessible to smaller birds.
Never give birds salted, sugary, or processed foods. Bread can also be very low in nutrition and can even lead to health issues in birds, so it is best to avoid bread. Also, honey is not a good food option in cold weather because it can foster the growth of dangerous fungal infections. Instead focus on feeding birds high-fat, high-protein foods so they will have enough energy to stay warm during long, cold winter nights.
Keep the Benefits Going: What to Do with the Tree After the Food Is Gone
Your Christmas tree provides food for backyard wildlife, even when the edible ornaments are gone. Christmas tree lots provide shelter for the wildlife. Many birders wait until February or March to take down their trees. During this time, other wildlife take shelter from the cold. Birds will continue to use the tree as long as the branches stay intact.
You have several eco-friendly options when the tree starts to break down. You can chip it into mulch for your garden beds. The needles help retain moisture and add organic matter. Many municipalities offer free chipping services in January. You can rent a chipper IF you have several trees.
Build a brush pile by laying the tree in a corner of your yard with some fallen branches and other debris. Ground-dwelling birds, small mammals, and beneficial insects will make this their home year-round. Brush piles are especially attractive to foraging sparrows, towhees, and wrens.
To create places for aquatic life to inhabit, you can submerge some branches in your pond or other water features. In fact, some conservation organizations gather trees to use in restoring habitats along lakes and rivers.
The easiest choice is to let the log decompose in the spot you found it. Lay it is a secluded area, and allow nature to take over. As the log decomposes, it will enrich the soil and continue to provide habitat for small wildlife.
Rather than toss your old Christmas tree into the landfill, you can easily turn it into a bird haven for the winter. It will be a great gift to the environment and you will be able to watch the birds all winter long. Happy birding!
