You can see how excited this bushtit is eager to give it a go!

These are the materials you'll need: a suet block (check the dollar store for a great deal on these); a disposable cup, a drinking straw; a piece of bark or something similar to use for the roof and a couple of fancy twigs for perching. You'll also need a piece of 18-inch long string.

In a safe dish, Melt the suet block in a microwave. Hold the drinking straw upright in the centre of the cup and hard against the bottom of the cup. Spoon in the melted suet block. Keep the straw upright in the middle. Put it in the fridge to set.

While it is setting you can fasten the two twigs together. Cut off any bumps and hold them together, with the perching parts upright as shown. Using a little wire, grocery store ties work well, tie them together. Also, drill two holes through the middle of the roof a little distance apart for the cords to go through. You can see the two holes in the picture below.

When the suet is set hard, cut and remove the cup, leave the straw in place but cut off any extra length that sticks out of the block. Lie the twig in the middle of the cord, branches pointing up. Feed both ends of the cord through the straw. We are putting the small end of the cone to the bottom.

Feed the cord through the holes in the roof section as shown in the picture above. Tie the cords together, pushing the knot down as hard as possible. This will pull up the twigs tight up against the suet block, a small groove can be cut along the bottom for the twigs to go in deeper. Make a loop for hanging by fastening the two cord ends together.

And, there you have it! Oh look! A Chestnut-backed Chickadee is visiting....

... and a Dark-eyed Junco also investigates.!