A Sweet Goodbye to Pumpkin Season
A Simple, Joyful Bird Feeder Craft for Families
As pumpkin season winds down and our porches start to look a little less autumn-clad, there’s a charming way to give those small pumpkins one more moment to shine—while also bringing a little extra life to your backyard. This pumpkin bird feeder is the kind of project kids love, adults appreciate, and wildlife will thank you for. It’s tactile, simple, and uses ingredients you likely already have on hand. Best of all, it turns the end of fall into an invitation to slow down and connect with nature before winter settles in.
Think of it as a gentle recycling ritual for the season: instead of tossing your pumpkins, you’re transforming them into something new, nourishing, and beautiful.
How to Make a Pumpkin Bird Feeder
This project works best with small to medium pumpkins—easy for children to handle and light enough to hang on a branch.
Step-by-step:
Slice off the top of your pumpkin to create an open bowl.
Scoop out the innards, saving the seeds and any flesh for your birdseed mix.
Pierce three evenly spaced holes near the top edge of the pumpkin and three holes directly beneath them at the base.
Cut three lengths of sturdy twine. Thread each piece through a top hole and then through the corresponding bottom hole, tying knots on the inside to secure. This creates three vertical supports so your feeder will hang evenly.
Using an ice cream scoop, fill the pumpkin base with the homemade birdseed mix (recipe below).
Add any simple decorations—small knots, ribbons, or foraged elements—along the twine if you’d like.
Tie the ends of all three twine strands together and hang your pumpkin on a tree branch outside.
It’s rustic, seasonal, and incredibly satisfying to see birds flock to something crafted with your own hands.
Homemade Birdseed Mix Recipe
A wholesome, energy-rich blend perfect for colder days.
Ingredients
2 cups mixed birdseed
2 cups oatmeal
2 cups cornmeal
2 cups mixed nuts
1 cup peanut butter
1½ cups cranberries
1 cup pumpkin seeds (saved from your carved pumpkin)
Pumpkin flesh pieces (from inside your pumpkin)
Instructions
Prepare the pumpkin flesh: Chop into small pieces. You can dry them slightly or use fresh for added moisture.
Combine dry ingredients: Birdseed, oatmeal, cornmeal, mixed nuts, pumpkin seeds—mix thoroughly.
Add cranberries and pumpkin: Fold in gently to keep the cranberries whole.
Mix in peanut butter: Warm slightly if needed, then fold into the mixture until everything is evenly coated and sticky.
Store or shape: Press into suet cakes, shape into balls, or store in an airtight container. Keep refrigerated up to 2 weeks or freeze for longer.
Yield: ~9–10 cups
Usage Options
Press into suet cages
Roll into hanging balls
Spread on platform feeders
Freeze for long-term storage
This mix provides healthy fats, natural sugars, and fiber—ideal fuel as birds head into colder months.
A Fun Bonus for the Backyard
At the end of our project, we had extra mix—so we hollowed out a few more pumpkins and shared the leftovers with our chickens. They went wild for it.
Cari Ann Carter is the best-selling author of Are Your Roots Right? Rightsize Your Space. Reclaim Your Life. and a multi-faceted entrepreneur with a passion for intentional living, design, and home.
She leads the Cari Ann Carter Group, bringing over 28 years of experience in real estate, design, build, and renovation, and is the creative voice behind DIY Designer Homestead.
Through Fresh Roots Living, she shares practical ideas for cooking, gardening, entertaining, and creating a home that supports your next chapter.