Downy Woodpecker on a suet feeded | Michael Tatman | Canva
Feeding wild birds is one way to attract a variety of species to your balcony, yard, or window. If you are new to feeding birds, seed and nectar feeders are common choices, but suet feeders can be a wonderful alternative. Suet is particularly attractive to woodpeckers, bushtits, nuthatches, chickadees, jays, and starlings. In many ways, suet is less messy (and therefore attracts fewer rodents), and some models of feeders can be very easy to clean.
So, what is suet?
Suet is technically defined as the hard fat around the kidneys and loins in beef and mutton, but other types of beef fat, as well as vegetable fat alternatives, are commonly used and are still safe for birds. Tasty, bird-friendly morsels such as seeds, nuts, nut butter, cracked corn, corn meal, oats, dried fruit, bugs, or mealworms are then packed into the fat to create an appetizing suet “cake.” The suet cake is put into a wire cage feeder, allowing the bird to peck at a solid chunk of food.
Red-breasted Nuthatch | Michael Tatman | Canva
What suet recipe is right for your birds?
Whether you decide to go with a bug-filled suet cake or a peanut one will depend on what type of species you want to attract.
Nature Shop volunteer Karen Shea tells us that, “any suet will work for chickadees and starlings, but if your goal is to attract woodpeckers and nuthatches, then a suet cake that includes peanuts is a better choice.”
Making your own suet using plastic ice cube trays is another great option for those who want to custom mix suet treats. Try this recipe from National Audubon using a few ingredients you may already have around your house.
What time of year should I use suet?
Because of the high fat content of suet, many people opt to feed suet in the winter months to help wild birds get more calories and fat during the coldest months of the year. However, spring and early summer are also a good time to provide easy calories to brooding females and young nestlings. If weather conditions allow, late summer and fall suet feeders can offer extra calories to birds that are preparing for a long migration.
With generally mild summers in the Puget Sound, we sometimes have the option of feeding suet all year long; however, suet should never be used in hot weather because the suet cake will melt, cause a mess, and increase the chance of the fat going rancid or molding. If using beef fat, temperatures over 90 degrees will cause suet to melt. Vegetable oils have lower melting points of 75-77 degrees.
Where to put your suet feeder?
Because of the risk of melting, suet feeders should not be placed in direct sun, but morning or partial sun can be okay. Because the fat can go rancid or moldy, your suet cake should be replaced and thrown away after about a week (or a little longer in the winter) if birds are not eating it. As with all feeders, it may take birds some time to find your suet feeder when you put one out for the first time.
If you make the choice to feed wild birds it also comes with the responsibility to keep them safe while visiting your yard or balcony. One common hazard is cats, so be sure to keep your cat indoor or in a catio if you are attracting birds through bird seed. Feeder placement is another important safety measure. Place your suet or seed feeder less than 3 feet or more than 30 feet from any reflective windows to prevent fatal bird-window collisions. Thirty feet is a safe distance away and under 3 feet doesn’t allow the bird to build up enough speed for a fatality.
Start Suet Feeding With Products From The Nature Shop
Suet Special for Members
Now through April 1st, current members can buy two, and get the third suet cake of equal or lesser value for free. This offer is valid for any suet in stock at The Nature Shop.
Let The Nature Shop staff and volunteers know you are a current member at check-out to apply the discount. Valid for in-person or telephone purchases only. Excludes online sales.
Explore other articles in this issue of EarthCare Northwest
The Collision Buffet: How Bird-window Collisions Supplement the Diets of Urban Scavengers
Bird fatalities, while tragic, play an important and unnoticed role in our urban food chain, especially for scavengers like crows, gulls, and rats. Birds Connect Seattle is studying carcass persistence, or how long a dead bird remains before it is carried away by scavengers, as part of the Seattle Bird Collision Monitoring Project.
Barred Owl Diet: Insights from Pellet Analysis in Seattle
University of Washington student researcher Olivia Cavalluzzi spent her summer analyzing nearly 600 Barred Owl pellets to uncover interesting insights into their diet, behavior, and role within the Seattle-area food chain.
Sink Your Beak into This
Over millions of years, birds have adapted their anatomy to their unique ecological niche, in part due to the food sources available to them. In this article, we explore the specialized beaks of several local bird species and how that helps them snag their favorite snacks.