4 cups crumbs (bread, cookie, cake, doughnut, etc.)
4 cups kitchen scraps (noodles, meat scraps, fruit or vegetables, etc.), chopped
4 eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp fine sand
2 cups milk
2 tbsp shortening or melted bacon fat

Grease baking pan and layer bread crumbs and scraps. Beat eggs and mix with remaining ingredients. Pour over crumbs and scraps. Cover and chill for 1 to 3 hours, then bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Cool and crumble to serve.

Finally, many birds scavenge roadways to find salt, minerals and sand for nutrients and the grit needed to digest their food. Offer this recipe as a safer alternative.

Crystalline
Salt
Wood ashes*

Mix salt and ashes with enough water to dissolve and pour over a large rock, stump or wood block. As the water evaporates, crystals form that attract mineral-hungry birds. (Be sure to keep the salt water away from areas that are planted with shrubs or near gardens ? salinating the soil can create problems for plant growth.) *These can be fireplace ashes as long as they do not contain residues from colored (especially red) or slick paper.


Good food is just the beginning of a successful backyard bird sanctuary. Check out the Bird Food Recipes e-book by Rhonda Massingham Hart to find tips for year-round feeding, what kind of feeders to use and where to place them. Learn about planting the right shrubs and trees for birds in Bird Feeders with Roots, and find tips for attracting birds in winter in Bringin' in the Birds, both by Terry Krautwurst from Mother Earth News.

Share your favorite bird food recipes in the comments section below.