Feeding the birds

[Aafke]

With all the snow and cold weather the birds needs more food.
Put some food outside, in your garden or on your balcony or in the park or at a place where you see a lot of birds.
Every bird needs a special kind of food and all birds need food!
You can buy a lot of food but also make something yourself
Maybe we can share what we feed, some new ideas etc.
It's a good idea to feed natural food like sunflowers, nuts and other seeds
           
I looked on the internet for some information about what kind of bird eat what kind of food
maybe you can give more advice

Grey Heron, leftovers from meat or fish

Treecreeper, a bit of peanutbutter on the branches

Buzzard, leftovers from meat, chicken etc

Pigeon, corn, seeds, chickenseed

Duck and goose, corn, brown bread, wheat, cooked potatoes, kale

Magpie, leftovers from chicken or meat, cooked potatoes, pieces of cheese

Redwing and Fieldfare, raisens, old fruit and berries

Crow, leftovers from chicken or meat, pieces of cheese, bold potatoes

Coot, wheat, corn, overripe pears and appels, raisens, berries, brown bread

Great Tit and Blue Tit, sunflowerseeds, suet blocks, seeds, cheese, peanuts

Gulls, fish, meat, bold potatoes, bread, cheese

Blackbird, bread, suet blocks, cheese, raisens, overripe fruit and berries

Starling, bread, suetblocks, cheese, overipe fruit, potatoes, raisens, berries
 
Swan, wheat, corn, bold potatoes, salad cutted in pieces

Who knows more and what do you feed the birds?

  greetings Aafke

[Donna]

Very good info Aafke....thanks....gee, you can use bread sometimes....nice. 

[valhalla]

gee, you can use bread sometimes....nice. 

The bread is noted as Black or Brown - heavy on the grains and wheat.  Don't give white bread, rolls, etc to water birds because it bloats their bellys.  When it sinks, it rots at the bottom, too.

[Aafke]

Here is Kathy G's Suet recipe, she shared it a long time ago on the yahoo group
and a variation from Diana Robinson

I made this recipe a hundred times and it is good!
  greetings Aafke

Kathy G’s Easy Suet Recipe
1 Cup Shortening
1 Cup peanut butter. I use crunchy
1 Cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup corn meal
1 cup raisins
2 cups regular wild bird seed

Melt shortening, take it off stove and stir in 1 cup peanut butter
until the peanut butter is same consistency as shortening.
Then into the above mix add the remaining ingredients and spread
the mix into a 9" x 13" cake pan. Put this into the refrigerator
overnight until it hardens. Then I cut this into pieces a little
smaller than a suet cage and I put in freezer bags and freeze it.
Just fill the cages as needed with frozen suet.

The birds will thank you and will flock to your feeders


Diana Robinson’s Variation

The other day I was out of bread and kinda snowed in. I don't eat bread,
but the birds do. So I cooked up a sort of dough that had in it many of
the ingredients of your suet recipe. But I cooked mine, which yours
would not need. Used flour, peanut butter, corn meal, some water. Didn't
think of rolled oats, though I have some. They appreciated the end
result.

[valhalla]

I just printed it out and IF I find the time this weekend, I think I'll "cook up" a batch.  Thanks!

[MAK]

     Here's what I feed my backyard birds: Chicadees-sunflower kernels(no shell) and peanuts Cardinals-safflower seeds,peanuts and any kind of sunflower seeds   Gold finches get Nyger seed(thistle) and sunflower kernels   Blue Jays get any sunflower seeds,peanuts(in the shell or not)   Robins-raisins and little pieces of fruit bars   White Breasted Nuthatches-peanuts and any sunflower seeds   Pigeons,Mourning Doves and Sparrows eat whatever they can swallow!
And of course they all enjoy their heated bird bath.

[Bird Crazy]

That is weird because my cardinals do not like safflower seeds, actually it is usually the last thing left in the bottom of the seed tray.  ???

I emailed the recipes to myself will try them soon.

[Tokira]

I just printed it out and IF I find the time this weekend, I think I'll "cook up" a batch.  Thanks!

If I were making this, and quite possibly will before winter is over, I would substitute some sort of animal fat, probably the steak trimmings sold in most grocery stores as "suet".  I'm not sure that the hydrogenated stuff in "shortening" is any better for the birds than it is for people.
I did make up a batch with partially melted scraps of steak fat, plus all the other goodies, a few years ago, and within 15 minutes, every grackle in three counties was here.  They polished off the whole thing within the hour 
Carol
WV

[MAK]

I have had trouble in the past getting Cardinals to eat the safflower, but this years' group seems to really like it. I love the Cardinals.  I had 18 of them a couple nights ago chowing away!

[Donna]

I have had trouble in the past getting Cardinals to eat the safflower, but this years' group seems to really like it. I love the Cardinals.  I had 18 of them a couple nights ago chowing away!

  18? I have 2 all year and that's it! Mom and dad. Oh and babies last year.

[MAK]

     Yes 18, that's my highest amount to date. Other winters I 've had as many as 13. It amazes me how much nature there is in the city. I've seen more wildlife here than when I lived in the country.  Woodchucks,racoons,possums, all kinds of birds.There was even a female deer running through the neighborhood a couple of times!

[Donna]

    Yes 18, that's my highest amount to date. Other winters I 've had as many as 13. It amazes me how much nature there is in the city. I've seen more wildlife here than when I lived in the country.  Woodchucks,racoons,possums, all kinds of birds.There was even a female deer running through the neighborhood a couple of times!

Yeah I get the Coons and possums here too...they love my cat food but that's about it. I would love to see 18 Cardinals....I love their *Chirp* *Tweet* *Click* whatever it is they do. Your lucky.

[MAK]

I know I.m very lucky. A good friend of mine is so jealous about all the Cardinals I get.  She doesn't keep her feederes filled all the time. Usually when I visit her I help her fill them. I tell her feed them and they will come!

[Donna]

I know I.m very lucky. A good friend of mine is so jealous about all the Cardinals I get.  She doesn't keep her feederes filled all the time. Usually when I visit her I help her fill them. I tell her feed them and they will come!

I have 4 very cute Chickadees....oh I love them and they are not afraid either. They sit right there when I fill my feeders..

[MAK]

So do my chicadees and I also have 4. Aren't they the cutest? Right now I have 12 cardinals out there feeding on safflower seeds.