Faux Rock Construction

Winter months are hard on birds. Most plants have long lost high energy sources like berries and nuts, which may have fallen to the ground. Most flying insects, catepillars, and grubs are hidden safely away riding out the winter months, and any available food that might interest a bird is often hidden under lots of snow.

While many people are familiar with the common tube bird feeders or more elaborate decorative bird feeders, the suet feeder is not as common. But it is probably the best choice for use in the winter months.

Suet feeders are popular because suet has several advantages for winter use. It holds up to cold weather well. Suet holds up at temperatures below 70 degrees F, but above that it will melt, and eventually go rancid. For this reason when spring comes it’s important to take your suet feeders down. It’s a high energy source, since it is primarilly made from fat and protein, with lots of calories. Since in the cold months suet cakes will last a long time if they aren’t eaten you don’t need brave the cold to refill the feeder too often.

Suet was used in Colonial times ago by our ancestors. Suet is usually made comes from raw beef or mutton fat, it’s often made from the fat found around the loins and kidneys. There are vegatarian ways of making suet, but that is the most common variety. To make suet the fat it goes through a process called rendering where a raw material like groung beef fat is heated until it produces a wax like material. Once this wax like material cools slightly the suet is shaped and stored in blocks.

Once you have the raw suet, to make it usable in a feeder it is usually prepared in a block similar in shape and size to a sandwich. To increase the protein in the food it’s common to add other ingredients like cracked peanuts or sunflower seeds or birdseed mix which are mixed in as the suet solidifies so they are distributed through the food block. There are many types of commercially available suet blocks, including the vegetarian variety. It is made from fat such as palm oil combined with rice flour. There are also many web sites featuring suet recipes targeting different bird species if you are inclined to make your own suet.

Usually a suet feeder looks like a small wire cage. The suet block is placed inside, and the cage serves not only to hold the suet, but provides some protection from large animals like squirrels taking the suet block away. The feeder can be hung from a tree or simply nailed to the trunk of a tree. Another common favorite is a traditional bird hopper feeder that also has suet cages on the sides. A favorite trick that will delight the kids is to smear the suet onto a pinecone and then hang it with a ribbon or piece of twine.

Suet is one of the best foods to attract woodpeckers, along with wrens, chickadees, nuthatches, kinglets, thrashers, creepers, and cardinals. Adding peanut butter to the suet can also attract woodpeckers, goldfinches, juncos, cardinals, thrushes, jays, kinglets, bluebirds, wrens, and starlings. If you are one that doesn’t want to attract starlings try finding a suet bird feeder with only bottom access, since starlings can’t hang upside down to feed. Squirrels are another creature attracted to suet feeders than many (including the birds) consider a pest. To keep squirrels out place the feeder where it can’t be accessed by climbing or jumping from a nearby roof or tree. As a last resort using baffles on the hanger or the mounting pole will help keep them away.

Suet bird feeders come in many styles and shapes. The most commonsimple are the simple cage feeders. These house the suet in a protective cage that can hang from a tree by a small hook. If you want something more elaborate you can find decorative suet feeders. One favorite is shaped like a sunflower. These are often mounted on a pole that can be freestanding in your yard, hopefully safe from your squirrel friends.

While winter is tough on all wildlife, especially birds, with a suet bird feeder the birds in your area can make it through til spring in good health.

Tags: suetbirdfeeder | suetbirdfeeder | winterbirdcare | winterbirdcare | birdfeeders | birdfeeders

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