Bird Feeding: Mohney's Waffle and Peanut Butter Advice Followed

[Donna]

As the snow drifted down over Chehalis Sunday afternoon and the weatherman sent out a winter storm warning, I mentally wandered through my larder of supplies back at home in Cinebar.
My fur-clad beasts and I had enough supplies to last us — and an extra layer of winter’s ease (also known as excess fat). All we needed (wanted), were a few of the foods that would lend a little comfort in the upcoming days of snowbound isolation. Frozen pizza for me, a venison and sweet potato bag of bones for them.

I knew I didn’t have enough to feed my feathered friends for more than a week if we were hard hit by the snows, so I put a 25-pound bag of Chickadees Delight on my mental shopping list. It’s an easy favorite for all my bird feeder guests, from the jays to the pine siskins, a little something for everyone.

I remembered reading an old column of The Chronicle’s gone, but far-from-forgotten outdoors chronicler, Russ Mohney. In that Nov. 18, 2005, column, Mohney talked about an idea a friend of his had tried out, “a winter (bird) feeding trick that draws more desirable species than any other I’ve heard about.�

This feeding trick involved toasted waffles and peanut butter. A perfect combination of winter warmth giving calories and soul-satisfying tastes for birds and humans alike.

I knew I had to try it. For the bird’s sake. At least that’s the story I told myself as I tossed a couple of boxes of Eggo frozen waffles in my shopping cart alongside the cocoa and marshmallows.

Monday morning, the snow had already reached a depth of at least 3 inches and was coming down at a steady pace back at my Cinebar home. It was time to try the waffle trick.

“I put two peanut-butter-filled-waffles out Sunday morning to see how they worked. (Actually, I made four peanut-butter waffles, but they looked so good I ate two of them myself!) I must report the feeders outside my study were an absolute riot of activity for the 15 minutes it took a sudden horde of birds to consume them,� Mohney wrote.

I toasted four Eggo waffles and spread a light coating of peanut butter over the top of each and, while I had the same problem Russ had — only two of the four waffles made it to my suet feeder — I didn’t have quite the flurry of activity.

My birds are rather suspicious of anything new at the feeder area. Waffles, apparently, are no exception. I plan to try again each morning for the next three mornings — or at least until my supply of frozen waffles runs out.

And if I have to gain a few pounds in the name of science, I’m willing to make that sacrifice.

For the bird’s sake.

theolympian.com

[MAK]

Nice little story Donna. Thanks for sharing. Peanut butter is always a good bet for the birds especially in the winter. The fat and protein helps them keep warm.