Cooped Up? Get Uncooped.

Watching birds from the comfort of your own home may not sound very compelling, but this winter: try it! You might be surprised how often you catch yourself looking towards the window for a glimpse of who might be stopping by for a bite.

Even the Maven has taken to feeding the birds: here's a Martha video on making your own super-simple suet and peanut butter feeders. And, yes, you can do it even if you failed arts and crafts.

Here's what you need for the Simple Suet Feeder:

• Plastic mesh bag
  
• Suet (that's beef fat in case you were wondering - any butcher will gladly give you some)
• String to hang the bag with
  

or to make the Peanut Butter Pinecone Feeder:

• Whole pinecones, any hard variety with larger gaps
  
• Peanut butter
• Millet

If you want to learn more about feeding birds in the winter, check out these links: The Audubon Society has published a pamphlet called Bird Feeding Basics and from Birdwatching.com, tips on how to attract birds in winter.

• Homemade_bird_feeders
• wintertime_birdfeeding