Peace, Love and Seeds

If you’re anything like me when you’re walking down the street, your eyes are fixed to the sky and your head is bobbing about in the clouds. I create my own little conversations with the feathered friends that swoop by me or peck the dry ground at my feet for an unfortunate insect or seed. Since getting into Avian Taxidermy, I’ve also found myself swimming through a deep bird obsession. I mean, I dearly love and am fascinated with birds now, like never before. Working so intimately with an animal, you begin to understand them and life in a different way. I find myself thinking, “if I was a bird, I would..” way too often.

I live in Los Angeles, California, a great place to be, in my opinion, if you’re a real birder. With 523 bird species recorded within its boundaries and offshore waters, Los Angeles County is among the most ornithologically diverse regions in North America. Yeah!

We’ve been in a drought for years and this winter finally we’ve had some much needed rain, fall from the sky. With these raindrops, this Spring, comes an amazing wildflower show, some are calling the ‘superbloom‘. This news got my spirit for Spring jumping up and down like a slinky!

And the birds now, they are sooooo loud in the morning outside my window, even they told me they’re excited for Spring! To help celebrate with them, I’ve decided to make some treats for their peckers. Why don’t you make some with me and spread the seed love! It’s fun to be a messy kid, am I right?

Here’s the how-to and recipe..

Ingredients

1. 4 cups of birdseed
2. 1/2 cup of flour
3. couple generous squirts of honey
4. 2 – 1/4 ounce unflavored gelatin packet
5. 1/2 cup of water
6. molds of some sort
7. twine, ribbon
8. bowl
9. straws or birthday candles
10. spoon
11. scissors
12. water
13. crazy bird napkins
14. measuring cup
15. hands

Steps

1. combine bird seed, flour, honey, water and mix thoroughly. Get your hands in der’ real good, yeah!
2. slowly sprinkle in gelatin packets while continuing to mix (if you pour the gelatin too quickly and in one spot, it will just turn to a jelly shoe insole, not good – *trust me)
3. press mixture into molds, making sure to place a straw or birthday candle in each one to serve as a hole, to later tie your twine through.
4. let dry 48 hours
5. gently pop out of molds and tie twine or ribbon through each one
6. hang on a branch or for you city folk, a fire escape
7. sit back and wait patiently for your feathered friends to notice – this could take a while, so remember to…

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson