RJ Simon
  • Home
  • *Ruby Lane*
    • Ruby Lane
    • Bonus Content
  • About
    • Updates
    • Blog
    • Little Bird Visitors
    • Little Visitors
  • Contact
  • Inspiring
    • Interviewing Susan Day
    • Interviewing Kerry Malone
    • Interviewing Megan Higginson

Experiment 1 - Wheat Bix & Birdseed

11/16/2014

 
Picture
We get visits from lot's of different Australian Native Birds every day. Below is a photo I took of a pair of King Parrots who came to visit.

Step 1

Picture
Picture

Step 2

I put some parrot mix in the plastic cup and then broke up 3 wheet bix on top - it was very full and looked like it would fall out every where. So I tipped the mix into a bowl.
Anyway, I like to make sure there is seed for all our bird visitors. I have been trying out different ways to leave seed out for them.
One day I was remembering how hard it used to be to scrub dried wheet bix off the table when my children were little...that's where the idea for this experiment came from. I am hoping the wheet bix will work like glue and stick the birdseed together.
So here we go let's see what happens....
I used a sharp knife to make a small incision in the bottom of a plastic cup. Then I threaded a piece of tie wire through. I made sure to leave wire hanging out of both sides of the cup.

Step 3

I decided to crush the wheet bix up. Then I mix it and the seed about with my hands.

Step 4

Picture
I added water to the mixture until it looked gooey. ( I didn't measure how much - I guess it was about 2/3 to a cup worth).
Picture

Step 5

I put it all the mixture into the cup. It was thick enough that only a tiny bit came out the cut in the bottom. I am going to leave it for a few days in the sun to see if it hardens.
Picture

What did I learn?

Well so far, I learned that:
  •  I should use a measuring cup when I do experiments so I can keep better records. It might be helpful for example to know exactly how much water I used in case I decide it would work better with more or less water.
  • A thought occurred to me when I was writing this blog...maybe I should have coated the inside of the plastic cup lightly with oil. So I guess it might be helpful to write down the idea for my experiments before I try them in future.
I will post the findings of my experiment here in a few days. And next time I 'make an experiment' I will make sure to 
WRITE, MEASURE & RECORD!!!

Comments are closed.

    Author

    Personal blog by RJ Simon. This is where I post random musings and share photos from strolls around the yard, road trips, and life in the Australian bush.

    ​I used to post updates about my writing and illustrating here too, but the website now has a updates section especially for that - all the new updates will be posted there.
    So if you're looking for book release dates or things like that check the new:
    ​ updates section.
    If you're looking for information about Ruby Lane here check the
    ​ Ruby Lane page
    or the
    Ruby Lane Blog 
    There is also a:
    ​ Ruby Lane Facebook Page
    Again, this is my general blog​ so if you want to see photos of the little Australian animals that come to visit me, find out what I've been up to in the garden, or read about older works this is the place to look.
    I also have a general page on Facebook here: RJ Simon

    Archives

    March 2019
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014

    Categories

    All
    Birds
    Children's Books
    Cup Of Tea?
    Flowers
    Flowers & Fairies
    Perfectly Sensible
    Puss Puss The Wallaby
    Road Trips
    Stroll Around The Yard
    The Clown Doctors

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • *Ruby Lane*
    • Ruby Lane
    • Bonus Content
  • About
    • Updates
    • Blog
    • Little Bird Visitors
    • Little Visitors
  • Contact
  • Inspiring
    • Interviewing Susan Day
    • Interviewing Kerry Malone
    • Interviewing Megan Higginson