This weekend... create a Christmas tree for birds

Christmas is the season of goodwill, so this weekend why not treat your garden birds to an early Christmas present?

Decorating a tree in your garden with edible ornaments is a great way to help birds to fatten up and survive the cold winter weather, and will create a lovely festive focal point for your garden too.

It’s really easy to do and the whole family can get involved. (In fact, it’s the perfect activity to keep the kids occupied while you sneakily wrap up a few Christmas presents!).

The decorations can be as creative or as simple as you like - let your imagination run wild!

Here are a few ideas to get you started...

Delicious decorations

Pine cones are great for filling with tasty treats. You can tie a loop of string around the base for hanging, and then cram the gaps with all kinds of goodies:
-    Grated cheese
-    Bird cake mixture
-    Leftover raw pastry (from all those mince pies!)
-    Raisins

You can even dip the pine cones in melted suet or unsalted peanut butter and then sprinkle them with bird seed.

Bird cake baubles

Follow this quick and easy bird cake recipe and you'll soon have lots of edible baubles to hang on your tree.

This high-fat, high-energy food is perfect for keeping birds going during a cold snap.

Gorgeous garlands

A Christmas tree just isn’t complete without tinsel, so here’s a bird-friendly alternative.

Thread raisins, small pieces of cheese and chunks of fruit onto string and then drape it over the tree like a garland. Not only will it provide lots of nutritious treats for the birds, it'll look lovely too.

Once your masterpiece is complete, all you need to do is sit back and enjoy watching the birds tucking into their festive feast. You never know, you might just be lucky enough to attract some unsual garden visitors like fieldfares or redwings.

Let us know who's eating in your garden!