Evening star., 1946-11-02
This and That
By Charles E. Traceuell.

"Dear Sir:
What can you tell us about the use of
suet in bird feeding?
I intend to start feeding them this
fall and would like to know II suet is a
good thing to begin with; do not want
to mess with seeds at first, but thought
would just use suet.
rs this limitation practicable?
IF there is any one best way to ,,se
it, would appreciate knowing about it.
very truly yours, H. J. K"
y
suet is very good food to begin the
sport of bird feeding.
1t is more plentiful now than for a
long time.
The thing to be sure Of Is that the
lat one secures Is really suet, not lust
any old fat.
Old, soft fats will not do. Birds do not
like them, and they do not stand up
well in the outdoors.
Suet Is the hard fat about the kidneys
and loins in beef and mutton which.
when melted and freed from the mem
branes, forms tallow.
This is the thing the birds like.
1t will attract various members of the
woodpecker family, including the sturdy
little downy woodpecker, the hairy
woodpecker and the red-bellied wood
pecker.
Suet draws such beauties as the
chickadees, nuthatches, titmice and
mockingbirds.
1t also lures starlings and English
sparrows.
Woodpeckers like to eat it where it Is.
but the sparrows and some of the others
mentioned prefer to carry it away. This
means that they will drop greasy bits on
the roof and windowsill, at times. Such
small events, however, are minor in
sense.
Beef suet, If obtainable, Is the best OF
all.
Recently the suet supply, along with
meat in general has been somewhat bet
ter, thanks to certain happenings known
to all.
This means that the birds will get
more suet, favorite food in the cold
months.
Fat is pure heat, of course. and tiny
creatures with only soft coat OF featn-
ers need plenty OF 1t.
Suet alone will fill in the gaps for the
species mentioned, and will be sampled
bv many others, now and then, so little
of 1t will be wasted.
Lamb fat is too soft, so steer on It,
Birds do not eat it. Perhaps little
might be ground up for inclusion IN seed
and grain mixtures, but 1t Is not at all
necessary.
Soft, greasy fats of all types are not
to be used for this purpose.
Real suet is white, or ivory In Color
and feels solid In the old days, now
gone beyond recall, butchers gladly gave
it to you.
h Suet is best offered the birds in
hxed place, Chunks of it may be nailed
to a tree trunk, or placed in small pas
kets of wire and hung from tree nmo
or shrub.
BE sure to put these high enough so
that dogs cannot get at them. Dogs are
very fond of suet, because OF the IN
dubitable meat smell. They viii eat
every crumb if they can reach 1t. Ao1ten
they drag down a basket and run away
with 1t, suet and all.
s,let may be ground for wire baskets.
IT has been said that eyes OF blros In
cold weather may stick to frozen wires,
but experience proves that there Is not
much danger Of this.
Coconuts, again in the market, may
pe followed out and hung up by WIRE
through the eye. Stuffed with suet'
they make excellent bird feeding sta
tionS.
If hung in the middle of an arch by
a long wire, a coconut shell furnishes
great amusement to watcher through
the efforts of squirrels to reach it.
Each bushy tailed rodent has his own
method.
The antics they go through is almost
as much fun as circus, probably more
so to sedentary people since this is a
one-ring show right in ones own yard.
without the trouble Of going any place
and coming home again. always q
. nuisance.