Homemade Peanut Butter Suet

I've been wanting to make some homemade suet for the birds, but wasn't keen on some of the recipes I've seen. I found one that looks perfect, thanks to Corey at 10,000 Birds:

Homemade Peanut Butter Suet

1. Melt 1 cup shortening (crisco or bacon fat). Add 16-20 ounces of crunchy peanut butter. Heat and stir until melted.
2. Add 1 cup of raisins, 1 cup of black oil sunflower seeds, 6 cups of cornmeal and 4 cups of flour.
3. Spoon into a 13X9 pan. Chill until it is hard. Cut into chunks for suet feeders (or stuff into cracks and crevices in logs).

Check out Corey's post, as it includes pictures and the story behind this recipe :)

Preparing for the Big Chill

Oh, birdies, get ready. The temperature is about to change. BIG time.

This weekend's highs will be in the single digits, with possible wind chills of 30 below zero.

I prepared by running to the store to stock up on bird seed. I cleaned out a couple of the feeders really good and refilled them. I put out an extra plate of seed on the deck for the juncos and mourning doves, who prefer to stay low, and hung a couple seed bells in the tree. The woodpeckers prefer to hang out by the tree instead of in the finch/sparrow traffic by the deck. I also put out two suet cages in the tree, as Walmart finally stocked them! I've been meaning to buy them online, but hadn't gotten around to it.

Then I made up a couple peanut butter and seed acorns, and chopped up an apple for the starlings.

There's a lot of food out there, and I hope it's enough for the birds to stock up for this brutal weekend we're about to have. I'm glad my sick finch is inside safe and warm at Willowbrook instead of out in this. I think about her a lot and keep checking my mail for a post card from Willowbrook, announcing her fate. I hope she's OK.

Here Come the Juncos!

I had my largest junco visit this morning - 9! There are usually 3-4 visiting, and I think that became 3 last week when the hawk made a catch. But today, there are 9 little ones out there hopping around.



I added a block of nut and fruit (a "woodpecker block") to the tree in the back yard, and I've got a new octagonal tray feeder hanging on the deck. I haven't seen the downy woodpecker around today to try the block, but a couple female finches are giving it their best go! A couple finches ate out of the new cedar feeder today, but nobody seems to be trying the suet yet.

We're expecting 2-4 inches of snow tonight, so hopefully the restocking I did last night will give the birds enough fuel to get through the snow storm.