eBirdseed.com Wild Bird Feeding Blog

Hi all,

Janet sent in a comment about the greasy, messy nature of suet, and how that is such a serious issue for the city/apartment dweller. (See the comments for the "Birds and the Winter" post.) And she raises a couple of good points...

The first point is that of suet itself, and the second has to do with birds in the city.

As for grease-free suet Janet, that's a tough one. Suet is little more than melted and simmered (rendered) animal fat peppered with seed and nuts. However, it's fairly stable when kept under 60 degrees F. A few suggestions...

• Keep the unused suet refrigerated. It gets messy when it gets warm. Worse than that, it can turn rancid and make the birds sick.
• Carefully watch the eating habits of suet munchers. If they only eat a quarter of a cake of suet before it gets funky, only put out a quarter of a cake at a time. But be sure to store the remainder in an air-tight container, and refrigerate.
• Stay on top of the cleaning schedule. Clean the grease before it has a chance to soak into the brick or wood of your abode.
• Keep a cheap door mat under the suet feeder.
• Use the suet feeder in conjunction with a standard feeder that will catch the grease. (See below.)

Concerning the second and more general issue, feeding the birds in an apartment/city environment takes creativity...

• Using shelled feed is a great idea.
• Selection of the food is critical. The last thing you or your birds need is unwanted bird seed scattered all over your, (or worse yet) your neighbor's property.
• Make it a weekly if not daily routine to clean up around the feeder. Nothing quite puts a damper on feeding the birds like a big ol’city rat!
• Be sure that all seed is "sealed in steel". (That is to say that all stored feed is held in complete lockdown... See above concerning rats.)
• Giving your neighbor a small feeder and a little mix goes a long way towards avoiding hassles... Let's face it, feeding the birds is addictive. “Sun catchers”, books, etc. make nice gifts as well.
• Offer to clean up any messy windows or balconies caused by the birds. It's the right thing to do.

So there are a few ideas... Looking forward to your thoughts...

See you by the feeders,

Alan