FEATHERED CRITTER CHOICES

 

The Colonel, Crikey and Nugget on Patrol

 

TREATS FOR YOUR FEATHERED FRIENDS!

THE  CHICKENS

 

...and BIRDS...and DUCKS IN YOUR YARD!

 

 

 

 

Bird feeder Ideas and Recipes

Here are a few recipes for these feathered friends in your yard:

Woodpeckers, Titmice, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Carolina Wrens and Mocking Birds

Thanks to:  ‘Birds in the Winter Garden’, Birds and Blooms Magazine – Winter 2011; this magazine is an inspirational resource for your feathered friends!

 

 

Ideas for the SUET Holders in your yard:

Suet # 1 Ingredients:

• ·         2 Cups quick oatmeal
• ·         2 cups cornmeal
• ·         1 cup flour
• ·         1/3 cup sugar
• ·         1 cup solid shorting
• ·         1 cup peanut butter

·        Additional ideas to add:  stale bread, raisins, mixed nut/seed mixture, dried fruits (cranberries, blueberries, etc.)

Directions:

·         Mix dry ingredients in large bowl

·         Melt shorting/lard in microwave

·         Add peanut butter and stir until blended

·         Pour this over the dry ingredients and mix well.

·         Pour into 9” x 13” pan, lined with plastic wrap and refrigerate a few hours.

·         Lift out and slice with pizza cutter into pieces that fit into your suet feeder

Suet # 2 Ingredients:

• ·         4 cups melted fat/lard
• ·         2 cups birdseed
• ·         2 cups peanut butter
• ·         Dried fruits

Directions:
Pour into empty milk container or muffin papers and  freeze
Remove, pierce top with warm knitting needle and thread yarn through hole and tie to branch

Woodpecker Feeder and Suet Filler:

To make a Woodpecker feeder:

·         Birch log, 2” diameter

·         Drill several 1” holes around log, leaving 6” at end of log

·         Screw an eye hook into top of log for hanger.

 

To make suet for this woodpecker feeder:

·    Ingredients:
Peanut Butter
Greasy Meat or Fat
Oatmeal
Cornmeal
Chopped Peanuts
Frozen or Dried Blueberries

Directions:
Mix until you have a good cookie-like dough texture.

Roll dough into log-shaped (same size as holes in feeder)

Freeze, slice

Fill holes in Feeder/log with suet mixture 
Hang on a branch or pole and watch them enjoy! 

Hummingbirds:

Directions for making safe hummingbird food:

 A basic hummingbird food recipe includes one part granulated sugar to four parts water. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring the liquid to a boil for 1 to 2 minutes.

1. Mix 1 part sugar with 4 parts water and bring to a boil to kill any bacteria or mold present.
2. Cool and fill feeder.
3. Extra sugar water may be stored in a refrigerator.
4. Red dye should not be added.

Why make your own????

 

The desire to offer hummingbirds pure, healthy nectar is one of the top reasons why many backyard birders prefer to mix their own sugar solution. Commercial nectars often contain unnecessary flavorings, dyes and preservatives. While there have not been extensive studies to determine whether these chemicals may be harmful, they are not needed to nourish the birds or attract them to the feeders, and a simple homemade nectar solution does not introduce any unknown substances into hummingbirds' diets.  (thanks to www.birding.com for this info!)

More tips:

Thanks to Melissa Mayntz for the recipe and tips:  http://birding.about.com/od/birdfeeders/a/nectarrecipe.htm

Nectar Recipe Tips

• If your tap water contains heavy chemicals, consider using bottled or purified water for purer nectar. You can also boil the water before adding the sugar to help purify it.
  
  
• Do not use honey, brown sugar, molasses or artificial sugar substitutes for any hummingbird nectar recipe. Honey and molasses (brown sugar contains molasses products) are too heavy for hummingbirds to digest efficiently and can ferment more quickly, creating a mold that is fatal to hummingbirds. Sugar substitutes do not have the caloric energy that hummingbirds need for energy.
  
  
• While boiling will help slow the fermentation of the nectar initially, the nectar in hummingbird feeders is contaminated as soon as it is sipped by a bird. Therefore, it is not necessary to boil the nectar once the sugar has been dissolved. If you use extra fine sugar no boiling may be needed.
  
  
• The ratio of sugar and water can be slightly adjusted, but a solution that is too sweet will be difficult for the birds to digest and one that does not contain enough sugar will not be suitable to attract hummingbirds. The 4:1 water to sugar ratio most closely approximates the sucrose levels in natural nectar.
  
  
• Hummingbird nectar must be completely cool before filling feeders. Hot nectar can warp or crack both glass and plastic hummingbird feeders and warm nectar will ferment more quickly.
  
  
• Commercial hummingbird nectar products may advertise different flavors, vitamins and other additives that are supposed to attract additional birds. These additives are not necessary for hummingbirds’ health and a simple sugar solution will attract just as many birds as more expensive commercial products.
  
  
• Unused hummingbird nectar can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week. When making your own nectar, adjust the recipe quantity to only make enough for one week to eliminate waste.
  
  
• Clean hummingbird feeders at least once a week and refill them with fresh nectar. In warm weather or when multiple birds are using the feeder, clean them more frequently.

To Dye or Not to Dye:

The use of red dye in hummingbird nectar recipes is a controversial issue. While hummingbirds are attracted to bright colors, especially red, some red dyes in the 1970s were found to be toxic. Today, red dyes found in food coloring and commercial hummingbird nectar are safe for both human and animal consumption, but the color is not necessary to attract the birds. Many hummingbird feeders have red bases, feeding ports or other accents that will attract the birds without risking the use of unessential dyes. If you want to use red to attract more hummingbirds to your feeders, consider planting red flowers nearby or adding a red gazing ball near the feeder to help catch the birds’ attention.
Following the classic hummingbird nectar recipe is a great way to create hummingbird food that is far less expensive than commercial nectars or nectar mixes. With a few simple steps, you can fill your hummingbird feeders with attractively delicious sugar water all season long.

 

 Resources for your feathered friends!

The Best Nest:

 

Check out this helpful and inspirational resource for your backyard wildlife:  food, ideas, supplies, feeders, bird houses, suet baskets, bird baths and more...and, they offer an informative newsletter too!  www.BestNest.com

 

Hummingbirds:  http://birding.about.com/od/Hummingbirds