Spring has officially sprung, and the 3Doodler team has found some exciting new ways to connect with nature — including birding. The National Audubon Society has some great tips on birding with kids, and we can vouch for the fact that birding helps kids to embrace their inner ornithologist and fall even deeper in love with science.

Aside from the gorgeous sounds that birds use to communicate, we’ve recently been inspired by the interesting colors and patterns that mark the birds around us. A bird’s colors and patterns are an important way for it to:

• Attract possible mates
• Identify its own species
• Hide from predators

Today, we thought it would be fun to work together to Doodle a bird feeder using your 3D pen, which you can use to attract local birds in your backyard! Here is a free bird feeder stencil for you to download here. 

After you’ve printed the stencil, take a look at the different parts of your feeder and plan out which colors you want to use for each section. Did you know certain birds are attracted to certain colors? We chose red for our feeder. Use your 3D pen to trace each section, paying attention to the number of pieces required for each section. Once all of your pieces are Doodled, it’s time to assemble! You can follow along with our step-by-step tutorial here.

Once you’ve assembled your feeder, fill it with your bird food of choice and hang it in your backyard. Make sure to put it somewhere that you can easily see from a window, porch, or favorite outside spot so when the birds discover your creation you’ll have a front-row seat.

Need something to do while you wait? Doodle a bird using one of our handy templates here or here. If you’re having trouble coming up with birds to Doodle, think about the types of birds that have caught your eye in the past. What color feathers are most appealing to you? Why?

Not feeling inspired by the birds you’re seeing outside? Not a problem!

You’re probably familiar with a lot of different kinds of birds. Think about recreating some pretend birds like Big Bird, Tweety Bird, or Toucan Sam. Or perhaps you could design your own Mockingjay, as in The Hunger Games book series by Suzanne Collins.

Did you Doodle your favorite bird, or create an entirely new one? Share your design with us @3Doodler #3Doodler #WhatWillYouCreate