Call the meat department of your grocery store and ask them to save a few pounds of beef fat for you. They will usually give it to you for free; however, if you ask them to grind it, they may charge about 20 cents per pound. Ground beef fat melts faster.

Suet is one of the most popular bird foods. It's a source of quick energy -- like an "energy bar" for the birds! It's a good way to attract insect-eating birds like woodpeckers, Carolina wrens, Carolina chickadees, tufted titmice, nuthatches, kinglets, mockingbirds, brown thrashers, warblers, goldfinches and orioles. If you don't add peanut butter, the squirrels won't be attracted.

Each day, put a frozen suet cake into a wire mesh suet feeder (available at nurseries) or hang a suet pinecone or a log with drilled holes (see photos below).

Place suet feeder next to other feeders in your yard so the birds can find it quickly. Birds do not have a sense of smell.

Place your suet feeder in the shade as suet can become rancid in warm weather and may make birds sick.

Raccoons and opossums may clean up any leftover suet at night.

Tufted titmouse at log suet feeder. Wire basket suet feeder, on right.

Recipe #1 Suet Cakes for wire mesh baskets Ingredients 2-3 lbs. ground beef fat 1 cup raisins or any chopped, uncandied dried fruit (optional) (for mockingbirds, orioles and other fruit-eaters) 1-1 1/2 lbs. coarsely ground corn meal 1 lb. corn grits(optional) If grits are omitted, add more corn meal Directions 1. In a heavy pot, melt beef fat on low temperature. 2. Stir in raisins. Allow a few minutes for raisins to absorb liquid. 3. Alternately add small amounts of corn meal and corn grits, and stir until the mixture is so thick that it is difficult to move the spoon. 4. Pour mixture into a large baking dish. 5. Score into small squares. 6. Place pan in fridge for several hours, until mixture is hard, then 7. Cut into squares. 8. Place squares in ziplock bags and freeze.

Recipe #2 Pack this recipe into the crevices of a pine cone or into a log into which you have drilled holes (see photo above). Ingredients 2-3 lbs. ground beef fat 2 lbs. corn meal mixed wild bird seed (optional) a large pine cone with open "scales" thin wire or strong string 1. In a heavy pot, melt beef fat on low temperature. 2. Add small amounts of corn meal and stir until the mixture is so thick that it is difficult to move the spoon. 3. Using a small spatula or spoon, pack the hot mixture Into the open crevices of the pine cone. 4. Roll the pine cone in the wild bird seed.

pinecone suet feeder

Songbirds and Birdwatching

St. Francis Wildlife Association

Wild Classroom