Feeding Wild Birds in the winter require a different approach than warm weather feeding.   Birds are warm blooded animals, which means they need to  maintain their body temperature within a specific range even when  the temperature around them changes. The maintenance of body temperature is dependent on the amount of heat the bird produces.  Birds require a high metabolic rate is keep themselves warm.

To keep up their high metabolic rate, most backyard birds require  rich energy foods such as seeds and insects. In the winter insects are hard to find and during snowfall both  berries and insects are hard to find.   During winter, it is especially helpful to have feeders full of suet. Suet is a high energy formulation of animal fat and other ingredients to attract insect eating birds. Suet will provide a quick source of heat and energy for birds, who’s metabolisms are high in the winter. 

There are many types of suet available, the most convenient being suet cakes that fit easily into a suet birdfeeder, like the EZ Fill Bottom Suet Bird Feeder shown on the right. This attractive metal feeder  holds up to three standard suet cakes keeping them protected with the solid metal sides. It has a rod indicator on the roof that lets you know the suet level inside the feeder. Each side hasa bird in flight silhouette.  A chain is included for easy hanging. The bottom has a 0.5 inch square mesh where the birds can dine in ease.  Of course, as the name implies the  EZ Fill Bottom Suet Feeder is easy to fill by simply lifting the roof.

Birds that eat suet:
 -chickadees
- nuthatches
- woodpeckers

Can also attract:
-wrens
-blue jays
-thrushes

 A few suet feeders will bring birds to your yard all winter.  Remember to have fresh water available, too.

The kind of bird seed banquet you offer the birds that come to your backyard in the winter determines what kinds of birds you get. As a general rule, black oil sunflower seeds are the preference of birds that visit tube and platform feeders.

Black oil sunflower seed:
These seeds are rich in oil, and their small size makes them easier for small birds such as chickadees to 7 eat. They are readily devoured by most seedeating birds that visit feeders.
Striped sunflower seed: This is a nutritionally rich seed for birds with heavy bills such as the cardinal and evening grosbeak.

Hulled sunflower seed: This seed is attractive to smaller birds and avoids waste because of the discarded hulls. However, these seeds can rot in wet weather.

Birdseed mix: There are many birdseed mixes available. They include sunflower seeds and other grains such as milo, rice, oats, corn, and wheat. Starlings, often a nuisance at your feeder, prefer milo, hulled oats, and corn, so you may not want to use them.

White proso millet: Red and white millet are available, but birds often prefer the white kind. Because of its hard seed coat, millet is less likely to swell and rot than other birdseeds.

Safflower seed: This is best known as seed for cardinals. It has one advantage in that gray squirrels, often a nuisance at feeders, usually don’t eat it.

Shelled peanuts: Shelled peanuts attract birds. Since starlings especially like them, so the peanuts may attract starlings to your feeder.

Fresh and dried corn: Cracked corn attracts ground-feeding birds and ducks, but it rots quickly if it gets wet. It attracts squirrels, pigeons, blackbirds, and house sparrows.

Thistle or niger seed: This seed from Africa is a favorite of small finches. The small seeds are often placed in a tube feeder to prevent spillage. These seeds are high in protein. They are not related to the familiar weed known as thistle.

Suet cakes: Suet and suet cakes are favorite winter treats that provide an important source of fat for winter birds. Suet is hard beef fat – the best is from beef kidneys. You can purchase this at your meat market, then cut it into small chunks, melt it in a heavy pan over low heat, and pour the rendered suet into a small mold and put it in your refrigerator to harden. The cooking or rendering kills bacteria in the suet, which can then hang in your suet feeders. In cold weather, and if there is no danger of fresh suet becoming rancid, you can hang it out without rendering. Birds will devour it.

Cleanliness — To reduce the possibility of spreading avian disease, you should keep the feeders clean and always dispose of moldy food.

• Clean feeders with soap and water before you set them out.
• Clean feeders when they become wet and seeds stick to them.
• Clean any feeder when you suspect the food has spoiled.

If you notice sick birds around your feeders, discontinue feeding for a few days.
Piles of discarded husks under the feeders may attract small mammals such as mice and rats. Keep areas around feeders clean.

On a smaller scale, I found the Birdie Wreath. This is 2 pounds of black oil sunflower seed, safflower seeds and peanuts shaped like a wreath and comes with a hanger.

When I showed the Sunflower Wreath to my neighbor she said she was planning a bridal shower for her niece and would like something like that to give to each guest. It would have to be a smaller size and price than the Sunflower Wreath because she needs 40 items. We looked together and found this really cute Fruit, Berry & Nut Bell with Net. It is 16 ounces of seed that is shaped like a bell. It comes with a hanger made out of netting. It is perfect for the guest of a bridal or baby shower and is priced right.

Besides looking good, it is so much easier to feed birds with seed products that are shaped into something as opposed to loose seed feeding. Loose seed feeding usually means seeds all over the ground for those squirrels to gather up or your lawnmower.

My next gift buying will be for the men. I will keep you posted!

The Pine Tree Farms Birdie Wreath Wild Bird Food provides a great source of high energy to your backyard birds, which have a very high metabolism need in the winter. Seed cakes are a great alternative to loose seed feeding and may be used to attract a wide variety of birds or a select few.

Suet is beef fat, a high-energy food critical for birds’ survival in the colder months. Suet is an especially strong magnet for birds (including this Red-breasted Nuthatch) that eat lots of bugs in the warmer months.

This seed cake doubles as its own wreath-shaped feeder and it is small enough that several may be hung to establish multiple feeding zones. The convenience and size of the Birdie Wreath make it an ideal way to offer your birds a high-energy supplement.

The Birdie Wreath Wild Bird Food is developed for year-round feeding and consists of the finest seeds and nuts. This seed cake may be hung.

Birds that enjoy this seed cake:
blackbirds, cardinals, chickadees, crows, doves, finches, flickers, goldfinches, grackles, grosbeaks, jays, juncos, mockingbirds, nuthatches, redpolls, siskins, sparrows, starlings, titmice, towhees, woodpeckers, and wrens

Ingredients: black oil sunflower seed, peanuts, safflower, red millet, gelatin

A suet feeder is any wire-mesh cage or bag, such as an onion bag, which holds suet or suet mixture. Suet cages that are only open at the bottom tend to be starling-resistent but allow woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees to feed by clinging upside down. Suet also can be tied to trees or smeared into knotholes.