Feeding birds in the winter time

[MichPom]

I love watching all the birds gathering at the feeder come winter time. I have read where you can make your own suet balls. I have never done this but would love to this winter. I think It would be cheaper. Anyone have recipes for this?

[elsie]

I love my birds too. They make me smile when I watch them. When the cedar tree is covered with snow, the cardinals look like beautiful red ornaments sitting on the limbs. The bluebirds are still here. They are still coming around checking out the bluebird house. I do love my bluebirds! We had 3 nestings this year in the bluebird house.

I feed mainly sunflower seeds and thistle. I do have some suet for the woodpeckers but, it is store bought.

[Marion_in_Savannah]

I love watching all the birds gathering at the feeder come winter time. I have read where you can make your own suet balls. I have never done this but would love to this winter. I think It would be cheaper. Anyone have recipes for this?

Not really suet balls, but we used to make pine cone balls for the birds with the Sunday School kids when I was still in NYC.

Warning: This is a sort of messy process! You'll need some big pine cones, the ones that are all open, having given up their seeds. You'll also need some good quality bird seed and some Crisco.

Kids love doing this because they can get all messy and be doing a good thing while they're doing it! I'd use examining gloves if I were doing it today!

Push some Crisco down into the pine cone, and squish some bird seed into it. Keep doing that until the pine cone is stuffed full of the Crisco and bird seed. Add a wire or ribbon to the top of the cone to tie to a tree branch and you've created a birdie buffet.

[KeyWee]

I adore feeding the birds too but am worried this year. Normally, I stick strictly to black oil SF seeds, but have you SEEN the prices lately? Every fall, our local farm store has a big bird seed sale but I had to pass this year. Previous years, I would buy four 50# bags. This year, they reduced the size of the bag to 40# (what do they think we are stupid??? ) and the price is $28.95 for 40#. Oh for the days when a sale was $6.99 for a 50# bag (gosh, I must be old).
So what do you all plan to do? They say peanut butter will double in price too, so there goes that idea.
Used to be, I had 14 feeders ~ I am down to four. And the hummers are gone now too, so those feeders are stored for the season. Bummer.

[The_Swedish_Chef]

I love watching all the birds gathering at the feeder come winter time. I have read where you can make your own suet balls. I have never done this but would love to this winter. I think It would be cheaper. Anyone have recipes for this?

MichPom: Birds and critters in general are my sweet addiction so "Yes!", I've made suet cakes for my birds...ONCE! Trust me, unless you butcher your own beef, there is NO cost savings on suet made at home! I did it years ago and the cost factor was double then if I bought suet cakes at Walmart for .90 cents.

I've never made them since. I am employeed full-time, year round, so I don't have the luxury of spending a day's time making something. I really have to save $$$$$ to make something from scratch or really, REALLY enjoy doing it, like making my own jam.

Raw suet prices are through the roof at our grocery and butcher stores!

[Marion_in_Savannah]

I love watching all the birds gathering at the feeder come winter time. I have read where you can make your own suet balls. I have never done this but would love to this winter. I think It would be cheaper. Anyone have recipes for this?

A further reply... I'm not sure where you live, but even down here in Savannah it can get right chilly in the wintertime so I thought I'd be doing our cardinals, titmice, etc., a favor by getting some suet cakes for them the first winter we moved into the house. They studiously ignored them and went after the sunflower seeds. Come spring I threw away untouched suet cakes...

[Shirl]

just remember that if you do start feeding please don't stop especially during the winter when food is hard to find, they will start to rely on it as a food source and will not look else where. suet, what about befriending your local small butcher and asking for scraps?

[The_Swedish_Chef]

just remember that if you do start feeding please don't stop especially during the winter when food is hard to find, they will start to rely on it as a food source and will not look else where. suet, what about befriending your local small butcher and asking for scraps?

Excellent point, Shirl. Feeding is NOT for the Fair Weather birder or pocketbook, either. It's as much a commitment as an indoor pet or child, so once you start, do NOT stop when you made them dependent!

I feed mine year 'round. I love all the variety that I attract.

Yesterday, I got my 1st Juncoe of the season. Winter is Coming!

[Marion_in_Savannah]

just remember that if you do start feeding please don't stop especially during the winter when food is hard to find, they will start to rely on it as a food source and will not look else where.

Down here that's one of my most MAJOR pet peeves with folks who feed birds. They'll do it when they can sit outside and enjoy the show, but as soon as the cold and rain set in they quit feeding, take in the feeders, empty and clean the bird baths, and nestle inside. It infuriates me.

I feel guilty if the feeders are emptied in the summer and I haven't gotten to them for a day, but we're almost fanatical in the winter making sure that they're full. And we add shelled peanuts during the cold weather since our birds don't seem to care for suet cakes but they LOVE peanuts.

And the bird baths get more action during the winter too. We almost never have to worry about them freezing, except overnight on really cold nights, but when all the folks in the neighborhood have taken theirs in ours get very busy and need filling daily.

Why can't people understand that the winter is the time when it's even more important to have feed and water available for the birds? It seems so simple and intuitive to understand...

[The_Swedish_Chef]

"Why can't people understand that the winter is the time when it's even more important to have feed and water available for the birds? It seems so simple and intuitive to understand..."

Becauses the majority of people who can afford to feed birds are self-absorbed and lack empathy. As you said, Marion, when it suits THEM, they feed the birds, because it gives THEM pleasure. When it's no longer pleasurable due to change in weather, the birds are off of their radar. It takes a full and sharing heart to think of other life forms as EQUAL to human, not less than human. And please note to readers: I said "People who CAN afford to feed birds." Please don't rant about not having enough money to feed the birds or yourself; we're not talking about that subject.

I have clients, Marion, that are exactly as you describe: they've got kids, they put up feeders in the Summer when the kids are off of school, to teach their kids "all about nature." As soon as it's chilly and the kids are in school, they get their nanny to clean the feeders and stick them in the garage. And these are the same people donating to save polar bears, a 1000 miles away. They don't realize how important nature is, in their own back yard. It's far cooler to wear a t-shirt to save whales, dolphins and polar bears than it is a blue jay or chickadee.