Adding a suet feeder to a bird feeding station is thought of
as a winter addition, but anytime is a great time to add suet to your feeding
station. I have suet available year round which is very beneficial for the
birds and for our viewing pleasure.
So a great addition to any backyard feeding station is a
suet feeder. Suet is a wonderful food source for many birds, and the most
common birds that are attracted to suet are chickadees, nuthatches, Bushtits
and woodpeckers. A few other species that will also visit the suet are,
Bewick's Wren, Townsend's Warbler and a rare visitor an over wintering
Orange-crowned Warbler. Dark-eyed Juncos have learnt and adapted to hang on to
the suet cages, just like the woodpeckers.
European Starlings also feed on suet and can become a
problem. There is a way to discourage starlings from the suet and that is by
providing the suet so the birds are only able to access the suet from the
bottom or upside down. This can be accomplished an Upside Down Feeder or by
turning a suet feeder sideways or horizontal and leave the suet in the plastic
container with the open side facing downing. Woodpeckers, Bushtits, chickadees,
wrens and nuthatches naturally hang upside down to feed, where starlings
cannot, so we thought. These feeders may not eliminate the starlings but they
will discourage them so there are only a few trying to use the suet feeder.
Why is beef kidney suet good for the birds, because of the
high energy available for the birds. Beef kidney suet is fat from the kidneys
of cattle and sheep which have a greater density and high in calories. Another
type of fat that is used for suet is tallow. Tallow is a soft fat with fewer
calories and dissolves easily in the rain and heat. Using beef kidney suet is
the best for the birds as it helps the birds replenishing their energy stocks
quickly especially during the colder weather and shorter daylight. Some of the
favorite types of suet are peanut butter, sunflower suet, and insect sue, all very
high in protein. Suet that is full of wild bird seed is not a favorite of the
birds as they are feeding on suet for the energy and the bird seed is just a
filler to use less suet. If squirrels are a problem at your suet feeder try
using Hot Pepper suet, as birds do not have taste buds but squirrels do.
If you would like to try your own suet, here is a recipe
from local author Bill Merilees and his book Gardening For Wildlife. The recipe
is called Woodpecker Mix and the ingredients are; 1 part peanut butter, 2 parts
melted suet, 2 parts cornmeal, and 4 parts finely ground cracked corn or u may substitute
fine hulled sunflower seed. Mix all these ingredients together and stuff into
the holes on a suet log or make into balls or squares and cool in the refrigerator
before hanging in your suet feeder.
There are many ways to hang or place out your suet, from
onion sacks to tail prop suet feeders. Suet can be hung out in an onion sack for
the smaller birds to feed on. For the larger birds it is better to use a suet
feeder, making it easier for the larger birds to hang on. There are metal suet
cages which all birds can use but can be difficult for the larger Northern
Flickers and Pileated Woodpeckers. Another style is the tail prop suet feeder
which is design for the woodpeckers and allows the woodpeckers somewhere to
brace their tails while feeding. If you have seen a woodpecker on the side of a
tree, you may have noticed that they always trace their tail for support. The
tail hook suet feeder makes this easier for them and all birds to feed.
When hanging your suet feeder make sure it is in a location
that is easy for the birds to see and use the suet feeder. Also make sure the
location is easy for you to see the feeder and birds as we feed the birds to
help them and also to enjoy watching them. Check that the location of the
feeder is away from low ground cover and hedges were a predator may be able to
hide and attack the birds.
Feeding suet is a simple and clean way to attract birds to
your backyard year round.
Good birding.
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