HOW TO EAT LIKE A BIRD

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The birds will not think the less of you if you offer them raw suet simply by putting it into a suet basket or mesh bag. Some people prefer to render and mold the suet by melting it over low heat and pouring it into containers to harden. Rendering the suet will keep it from going rancid if the weather gets warm, but this step is not necessary in cold weather. In general, suet can be offered as long as the temperature is below 70°F and it is placed in a shady spot. If you notice liquid dripping from the suet, it is too warm. Move the suet feeder a cooler place or take it down altogether.

The birds also enjoy suet when it is mixed with other foods. Making suet cakes for the birds can be an entertaining, if slightly odorous, activity. Favorite additions to homemade suet cakes are sunflower seeds, corn meal, and peanut butter.

Suet cakes are also a good opportunity to rid the far reaches of your kitchen of soggy nuts, hard raisins, the bits of cereal at the bottom of the box, that last quarter-cup of wheat germ, bread heels, broken crackers, stale doughnuts, wrinkled apples, and other edible (to the birds at least) odds and ends. The birds aren't fussy, and no particular formulas or recipes are needed.

To make suet cakes, start by chopping the suet coarsely. Put the pieces into a heavy skillet, add any leftover meat trimmings and bacon grease you may have, and melt over low heat. Stir in any additional ingredients (don't use too much commeal or it will be crumbly). Let the mixture cool and harden slightly, then pack it into shallow containers such as empty tuna or cat-food cans or pie plates and store in the freezer.

Another fun project is coating pine cones with suet. Attach a string to the end of a pine cone, and then dip it into the melted suet. Let the suet harden slightly on the cone, then dip it again. Repeat until the cone is well coated. For a final touch, roll the cone in some seeds while the suet is still warm. Hang it from a branch and hope the birds get to it before the raccoons do.

Peanut Butter

All birds that like suet also like peanut butter. One way to offer it is spread on a pine cone or other surface. Some claim that birds can choke to death on peanut butter. This belief is based on inconclusive anecdotal evidence, and there seems to be no reason not to offer it plain. If you like to do things in the kitchen, try making peanut-butter cakes. Combine one part peanut butter with one part flour, one part solid vegetable shortening, and four parts commeal. Soften the peanut butter and shortening in the microwave or in a double boiler, then mix in the flour and commeal. Pack the mixture into shallow containers and store in the freezer. Offer the cakes in a suet basket or mesh bag. Peanut-butter cakes are good for warm-weather feeding, when it is too hot to offer suet. If you put them on a platform feeder, these cakes may also attract bluebirds.

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