Mid-Atlantic Bird Watching - Winter 2012-2013

I've got a huge pileated at the suet feeder, at 25*F he probably needs more calories. I'm trying to get a decent shot of him. Ric

You are reminding me I need to melt up some suet....

victorgardener in the Northeast forum posted this link to a new suet feeder he uses that is pileated friendly

http://www.amazon.com/Birds-Choice-2-Cake-Pileated-Feeder/dp/B001QSL1IU/ref=sr_1_3?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1355433584&sr=1-3

I am happy to see and hear the pileated and red bellied around even though I am not feeding this year because of new feral cat colony in residence. Wonder if I mounted this 40-50 feet up in tall oaks if ground feeding birds would stay away and squirrels wouldn't get at?

*pic from new bird site on facebook

I buy pure suet and my squirels don't bother it.

would love to see a pileated

Pretty sure this is a downy...(I really need a zoom lens for my camera) I heard him before I could spot him

Visitors on my deck, white throated sparrow, just wouldn't turn around
Cardinal and Blue Jay

If squirrels do bother it, can you just mix some cayenne into the suet? (Sally, when you say you buy "pure suet", do you melt it first and let it congeal? That is what my mom used to do, but we never added pepper. But with my huge squirrel population, I'd have to consider that.)

That feeder coleup linked to on Amazon is pricey. I bet it would be fairly easy to figure out a do-it-yourself version.

Happy--
I had the same thought. It should be easy to build by anyone handy with lumber and tools.

Also, I wanted to ask why this was, especially, labeled as a "Pileated Suet Feeder"???
Do these woodpeckers need a special kind of a suet feeder?

Pictures aren't very good, they were taken thru the sliding glass door.

They need that longer surface to balance their tail

Jen I love the white throated sparrrow, I was whistling with them yesterday. (I'm sure they whistled back and love me too.)

happy- some suet displays include a block of pure suet. But with add inns are much more common. I buy pure suet if I can find it. It will not be the 97 cent special because it is not full of cheap carbs.

Way cool Holly/Ric

My mom would just buy raw beef fat at the meat counter (it cost about nothing), melt it and strain it into a mold (usually an old soup can), with a string dangling in it. (More precisely, she'd take another can the same size, cut out the lid, poke a hole in it, and tie the string to that. Then she'd drop that lid into the first can, letting the string hang out of the top). Then she'd let it solidify and remove the suet from the can (along with the lid that had the string attached to it), and hang it from a tree limb by the string. I have the same kind of suet holder that you use (the one in your photo) - I just need a mold to get it to be the right shape for that holder. I can add hot pepper flakes to deter the squirrels. Wouldn't that work? Or do I need to build an extension for the woodpeckers to balance on?

Soooo?????

Raw beef fat from the butcher is NOT known as suet? Is it OK to use? I thought you could just put that out.

I have done it in the past--but have not, really, paid attention to WHO eats it up.
I know a lot of Blackbirds love it! They can be very carnivorous with fat.

I have a package of plain fat I slabs I just took out of my freezer tonight--thought i would hang it tomorrow.

Now i am not sure.,........Please advise..... gita

Gita: I haven't a clue. I'm just reporting what mom did. I'll noodle around.

This site (first one I looked at) says to melt it: http://www.attractwildbirds.com/feedingbirds/how-to-make-suet.htm. Maybe it is just because you can get it into a usable shape.

This site says that "Before offering the suet to the birds, however, it should be rendered to help it maintain its shape more easily, though this step should already be complete if you purchase the suet from a bird supply store." http://birding.about.com/od/birdfeeders/a/simplesuet.htm

It goes on to say:

To render suet:

1.Chop the fat into small pieces or run it through a meat grinder. If you are getting the fat from a butcher, they may be willing to do this for you. Be sure all traces of meat are removed.
2.Heat the chopped fat on low until it is liquefied. Do not use higher temperatures to melt the suet more quickly, as this could lead to fires or scorching.
3.Strain the liquid fat through cheesecloth or a fine mesh to remove any particles or contaminants. The suet should be strained several times so it is as pure as possible.
4.Pour the fat into molds or containers and allow it to cool. The cakes can be chopped or cut to be fed to the birds, or you may choose to use containers that are the appropriate size to fit your suet feeders.

I don't recall my mom doing any of that. She just melted the fat, and poured the liquids into a can, leaving the solids behind.

Cathy4 says: "You can just stick the fat out in the feeder, but it spoils easier and drops things I don't want my dog eating--and if it hits the ground, Lucy will find it." See http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/417/.

Dotsy1 wrote: "Just put the fat and meat in a deep microwave-proof glass container with a lid. I have a deep Corning Ware ceramic 3 quart bowl with a glass lid that is perfect. They're available at WalMart and you'll find a million other uses for it. Set the power on HIGH and in minutes you'll have clear hot fat with bits of crispy leftovers. You can throw those away or chop them up and mix in once they cool. Birds love peanut butter and the really cheap stuff in big plastic jars (keep the empty for nuts, candy, etc.) is great to mix in. I also buy bulk oats, corn meal, and flour to mix in as well as crushed breakfast cereal. The mix-ins can be anything in the back of the pantry that can be crushed or broken up in a blender or food processor." http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/808099/

I'm inspired to melt some lard this weekend....

This message was edited Jan 4, 2013 8:17 PM

WOW, Happy!

Thank you! You did quite a bit of research on all this!
Not sure I want to go through all this. I can buy suet cakes at Ollies for 99cents.
I think HD charges $1.99.

Good info, though! Gita

Gita: It is really really easy to do, if all you do is plop the fat into a saucepan and let it liquefy, then pour it into an old soup can. I wouldn't worry about the posts that try to ramp up the process.

flowAjen... Yes, that appears to be a Downy.

Great shots of the Pileated, Holly/Ric.

You gals are way more constrictive than I am!
I just buy the peanutbutter suet at Wal-mart.
Everyone that visits our balcony loves it.

Karen

THis lovely afternoon, I watched four robins at the birdbath. One in the big concrete bath, splashing merrily, a second in a large dish on the ground, and two more waiting in line, polite as can be. (Till the dog ran up!)

Yesterday I heard a woodpecker. I finally spotted him way out on a long dead branch, on the thin part I would not have thought he'd like. A woodie or sapsucker has started visiting the maple near the back door.

I watched a titmouse taking safflower seeds, placing them between his toes, then hammering away. I didn't think it was such hard work getting into safflower.

Re suet: I got inspired to make suet, and I made a number of mistakes, so I thought I'd best report. The butcher gave me a large piece of beef fat for free. I thought it might be easiest and neatest to render it by boiling it, so I put it whole in a pot of water and let it boil a long time. That was a total failure -- the hear required to render must be higher than the boiling point of water. Then I read instructions which recommended grinding it or chopping it first. So I chopped the fat that had been boiling, and put it on the burner attached to our grill (because the melting fat is a bit smelly and I didn't want the grease all over the kitchen). We had never used that burner and it turns out that even on low it is very very hot (now I know I need to buy a diffuser). Anyway, it liquefied really fast -- in 10 minutes or so (I didn't time it) -- and I had to stir it constantly and keep taking it off the heat to keep it from burning. The fat made a lot of huge dangerous explosions. Next time I will chop the fat up much much smaller -- I hope that will cut down on the explosions. Grinding would be even better, but that seems like a lot of work. Maybe a food processor?

I have now strained the rendered fat through a metal strainer. I have read that it should be strained twice through cheese cloth, but I can't see why that is necessary. I also read that it will congeal better if it is heated up a second time, so I will do that only because that is easy, and because there still might be water in the mix from my first attempt at rendering it by boiling it.

More later.

wow, what a project!

I have an irrational fear of rodents, so I don't think I'll be putting up a bird feeder anytime soon... unless I find something that's 100% squirrel/rat/mouse proof.

I'm seeing a lot of birds by the compost bin, though. I'm hoping the chicken and rabbit manure in the compost bin is enough to attract the bugs/worms that the birds like.

I saw one up close the other day. I think it was a sedge wren, winter wren, or more likely a marsh wren.

flowAjen -- It actually has been a no-big-deal project, especially if I don't do the boiling approach the next time. And we put a "tail" on the wire basket suet feeder I have to mimic the expensive one on Amazon. The only problem is that my suet feeder is huge, and I didn't make enough suet to fill it so I think it is going to rattle around in the feeder -- I hope it doesn't break into bits and fall out. Maybe I'll add birdseed or peanut butter to the mix to make it go further.

ssgardener -- I understand you can get birdseed with cayenne added to deter squirrels (we haven't done this yet). And I'm going to add cayenne to the suet for the same reason -- apparently it doesn't bother the birds. I had forgotten to do this -- I'm glad you reminded me -- I just went and added it.

To stretch out the suet, I'm going to use this recipe: One cup suet, one cup crunchy peanut butter, two cups of quick cook oats, two cups of cornmeal, one cup of white flour, and 1/3 cup sugar.

tried hot pepper in my bird seed and suet before and I must have Mexican squirrels cause they didn't mind it a bit

Oh no! That's terrible news! I now have a huge suet container to put out -- very heavy -- and a hungry hoard of chipmunks and squirrels.

My suspicion/ theory has been that birds peck the seed-filled suet away getting the seeds out, it goes so much faster . The pure suet block lasts a long time, and I DO see birds eat it.

I would get a suet cake recipe from Cornell bird site, and whatever they say I trust.

What is that site, Sally?

OMG!
Only about the most awesome birding site ever.....well, I dunno, but its pretty awesome
Here's their suet page
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/Page.aspx?pid=1180

Well, I think my "recipe" is within their parameters (I didn't see any recipes per se on the Cornell site). One comment on their site caught my attention: "Starlings are very fond of suet. To dissuade them, offer suet in a feeder that requires birds to feed hanging upside down. Woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches will access it easily, but starlings cannot." What kind of suet feeder would force a bird to hang upside down? I just concocted a cheap version of the Amazon one linked above that had a place for a woodpecker's tail to rest -- but that is for a right-side up bird.

I think there is as design of a horizontal board with the suet underneath...
Gee whiz, I hang my suet on the maple tree by the deck and don't think I have ever seen a starling, Or only rarely.

THis recipe (basically same as yours) was in an article linked at Cornell- so I'd hope that means it meets their approval.:
"In addition to using some store bought suet, Fran makes her own suet based on the “Martha Sargent Super Suet” recipe:

1 Cup of Crunchy Peanut Butter
1 Cup of Lard (not shortening)
2 Cups of Quick Cook Oats
1 Cup of regular White Flour
2 Cups of Cornmeal
crushed eggshells (cleaned and dried)

Melt lard and peanut butter in the microwave or over low heat. Stir in remaining ingredients and pour (or spoon) into freezer containers that fit into your suet basket. Store in freezer or refrigerator .."

That's what I did, but fresh suet instead of lard, no eggshells, and I added a bit of sugar. And I used whole wheat flour because I had some that had been around too long to use in bread. Seems cannibalistic to add eggshells, but I suppose it adds calcium.

here's the upside down suet feeder


http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=9089+13401+22966&pcatid=22966

Got it, and thanks! That wouldn't be too hard to build.

thanks for the recipe Sally


nope, shouldn't be hard to build at all

One of my housemates puts out his eggshells and I have watched Bluejays come get them. I guess maybe they need the calcium.

I do not eat eggs very often--but i always save the shells.

My aim is to smithereen them and dig them in under my tomato plants for the calcium.

I should make a deal with Pancake Place to ask them to save me the egg shells....
Not likely--but i would have a lot more.
G.

Finally got the white throated sparrow to turn around

This message was edited Jan 11, 2013 2:12 PM

Hi Mr WT Sparrow!

I sometimes do eggshells, but have read for safety they recommend baking/ boiling? them to kill pathogens.

but they don't cook the eggs they eat in nature