Outdoor Christmas Tree for the Birds...

First for the garland, I put peanuts and cranberries on wire (from a spool.) It's important to use wire because if you use string the critters will bite through it and take all the garland off the tree!

Next "we" (my husband decided to join in the fun) drilled holes in dried corn cobs. I tied these to the tree with zip ties.

This is just bird seed you buy that is already in a square shape...Tie some raffia around it and it's a cute present~ You can buy bell shaped too or make your own!

The bird houses I bought at Jo-Ann's craft store. They are light-weight and I tied them on the tree with wire. I painted the bird houses seven years ago and they still look great from being out in the weather. Some of the houses I painted red, some white, some both colors-Then I sanded them a little on the edges, stained them with walnut stain then wiped most the stain off.

Add them all together and you have a cute tree for the birds and squirrels. I put the tree in my backyard right outside the window from my formal dining room table. It's a great conversation piece at Thanksgiving and Christmas!

I love walking through my formal living room and seeing it outside all lit up at night.

This guy (Steller's jay) visits daily-He thinks he is king of the tree~

Seriously, he thinks I made this tree just for him.

But the truth is, the squirrels rule...Sometimes two squirrels will visit the tree at the same time and be running up and down chasing each other all over "in" the tree. This is why I tie everything down with wire or zip ties.

This little guy is pretty shy, but will poke his head out for a second or two to grab a peanut.

Did I say the squirrels ruled the tree? My bad, this is my dog Charlie, she is in charge "when" she's not sleeping.

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By the way: Hummingbirds like to buzz the star on top of the tree. I put a little  feeder on the tree for them. I also attached bare sticks sticking out the sides for the birds to sit on. I get alot of chickadees that like someplace to perch. Many other types of birds will wait on the ground for food to fall...It's so fun to watch and see who will be next to stop in for a treat.

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