As well as feeding seed to the birds who visit my yard, I usually put suet
out in my feeders over the winter.
It's spectacular to watch as the pileated-woodpeckers visit.
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| female and male pileated-woodpeckers |
Suet, also known as suet cakes, is made of seeds, nuts, dried fruit and rendered beef fat or shortening. It is a great energy source for birds during the cold weather. I am a handy person, but I don't usually make my own suet. It isn't terribly expensive; costing between $1.50 and $2.50 for a cake.
This winter I was perplexed as my suet disappeared. It wasn't that it was just quickly being eaten, it was completely disappearing...holder and all!
I had to put on my detective hat to solve this mystery.
At first I thought it was the deer who also share my part of town.
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| acrobatic deer... |
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| ...can't resist a free treat |
Nope.
The deer like my seed.
Only the birds are supposed to enjoy safflower seed.
So much for THAT old wives tale.
If you look carefully in the photos above you might see the clear plastic squirrel baffle on the pole of my feeder. I make sure all my feeders have these to discourage squirrel visitors.
Unfortunately, squirrels are VERY good jumpers.
It is not unusual for me to catch them sitting on the top of my feeders munching away.
I also found out they are crafty little thieves!!!
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| DO enlarge this picture, if you can. :) |
