This is a HUGE bird treat! Actually it was in an ice cream pail. You can buy the little bird treats, same basic stuff for $1.50 for about the size of 2 decks of cards. Years ago I started making my own bird goodies. Here's how: I save bacon grease, and other fat from meat and keep it in the freezer in a ziploc, or coffee can. Then as old fruit accumulates, I chunk it up and toss that in too. I usually use apples, bananas, oranges, pears and this year 1/2 bag of cranberries. Never tried any vegatables, other than maybe carrots, not sure if they would work. Then....
When I have enough saved up, I thaw it out in a big bowl and stir in peanut butter, oatmeal, cornmeal, and birdseed. Then freeze in a container (just set outside, but not so the dog gets in it)and place on the feeder when ready. I have also made smaller batches and froze in dixie cups. Make sure you do this early enough in the year so it's gone before spring, or you could have a greasy mess! You could add any or all of these ingredients, or just bacon grease & birdseed. It is mostly eaten by the different woodpeckers we get around here, and Jays. No Starlings this year, but if they found it, they'd finish it off before they'd leave. You can click on the photo to make it larger to get an idea of the grease to seed ratio. In this photo, you can see the beautiful red berries on the American Cranberry shrub,
Viburnum trilobum. The berries are extremely astringent and only eaten by winter birds as a last resort. As of today, when I took this photo, only a few I seen had been eaten by pheasants. One was jumping up, grabbing a berry at a time, and the other was straddled in th shrub. (yes, we put corn out for our family of 6 pheasants) So, you can kinda gauge how tough the winter is on the birds.....are the berries still there in spring or gone?
This is a HUGE bird treat! Actually it was in an ice cream pail. You can buy the little bird treats, same basic stuff for $1.50 for about the size of 2 decks of cards. Years ago I started making my own bird goodies. Here's how: I save bacon grease, and other fat from meat and keep it in the freezer in a ziploc, or coffee can. Then as old fruit accumulates, I chunk it up and toss that in too. I usually use apples, bananas, oranges, pears and this year 1/2 bag of cranberries. Never tried any vegatables, other than maybe carrots, not sure if they would work. Then....
When I have enough saved up, I thaw it out in a big bowl and stir in peanut butter, oatmeal, cornmeal, and birdseed. Then freeze in a container (just set outside, but not so the dog gets in it)and place on the feeder when ready. I have also made smaller batches and froze in dixie cups. Make sure you do this early enough in the year so it's gone before spring, or you could have a greasy mess! You could add any or all of these ingredients, or just bacon grease & birdseed. It is mostly eaten by the different woodpeckers we get around here, and Jays. No Starlings this year, but if they found it, they'd finish it off before they'd leave. You can click on the photo to make it larger to get an idea of the grease to seed ratio. In this photo, you can see the beautiful red berries on the American Cranberry shrub, Viburnum trilobum. The berries are extremely astringent and only eaten by winter birds as a last resort. As of today, when I took this photo, only a few I seen had been eaten by pheasants. One was jumping up, grabbing a berry at a time, and the other was straddled in th shrub. (yes, we put corn out for our family of 6 pheasants) So, you can kinda gauge how tough the winter is on the birds.....are the berries still there in spring or gone?
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