Bagel Bird Feeder
Submitted by: Carrie Liesa
It is odd. Bagels have been around in Europe since at least the
16th century. Originating in Poland, they became common in any
country with a sizable Jewish population. There is an area of
east London which had a “Beigel Lane” in the nineteenth century
where bakers had their ovens and bagels were stored on long
dowels.
Yet, in spite of all this European history, no European seems to
have had the idea of using stale bagels to make bird feeders.
The British are just as keen on feeding their birds as Americans
are; British cities are full of little old ladies putting out
bread for the birds, but the beautifully simple, ingenious,
intelligent and economical idea of the bagel bird feeder is
exclusively American.
To be fair to the British, it may just be the fact that bagels
are not very well-known outside London, whereas they have become
almost a staple in the USA. In 2008 sales of fresh, not frozen,
bagels were worth a staggering total of over $430 million
dollars. That is a lot of bagels.
The first use of the bagel as a bird feeder is difficult to
trace. It may be quite recent. The descriptions of how to do it
all follow a standardized method. You start by using a stale
bagel. The bagel is thickly smeared with something either fat or
sticky; peanut butter, honey or lard. The bagel is then pressed
into a plate of bird seed so that the seed is pushed into the
butter or honey or whatever. The bagel feeder should be thickly
coated with seed. A string is threaded through the hole in the
bagel and the completed bird-feeder is hung from a tree.
There are variations on this. Some people advise against using
large seed such as sunflower because it will drop off. Some
people advise putting the completed bagel in the freezer for a
bit to let the surface harden. A number of instructions tell you
to cut the bagel in half.
The purpose of the bagel feeder, apart from the obvious one of
feeding the birds, is also standardized. It is for children.
This is something you do with your kids, or with your elementary
school classes, or with your scout group. The kids will have fun
making them and fun watching the birds feeding from them. I
think the old ladies who feed the birds in London would enjoy
making them too, if they knew about it.
The reaction to the blogs telling everyone, “how we made a bagel
bird feeder” are all the same. It’s a great idea, there’s no
waste, it’s a cool idea, must try it with the kids!
What is surprising is how obvious it seems once you have read
about it. Why didn’t we all think of that earlier? The bagel is
clearly made to be hung up. One family have posted a gorgeous
photograph of an outdoor Christmas tree, frosted and decked with
lights and with bagel bird feeders hanging from every branch.
Cool!
Who first had the idea? When was the first one? We don’t know.
Somewhere out there may be the man who invented the bagel bird
feeder. A thousand thanks from a thousand parents, whoever you
are.
About the Author: The author enjoys making bird feeders with her
son. You can learn how to make a Bagel Bird Feeder at
http://99birdhouses.com
Source: http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=694186&ca=Gardening