Winter Bird Buffet

Create a Winter
Bird Buffet

Finding food during the cold
winter months is not always
easy for birds to do.

During winter, birds rely on
nurishing foods to help keep them
warm and to provide much needed energy.

Help your children create winter treats that are just what a bird needs to create body heat and maintain energy levels this Winter.



Safety Warning: Adult supervision is required.

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Suet Pie

What You Will Need:

• 1 cup Suet *
• 1 cup Creamy or Chunky Peanut Butter
• 1 cup Lard (in the dairy case at your grocery store, or near the hot dogs and bacon)
• 1 cup Coarsely Chopped Unsalted Nuts, any kind
• Pie Tin
• String or Twine

What You Do:

• Melt the suet, peanut butter, and lard in a saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. (Adults should do this step).
• When the mixture is melted and well blended, remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool until slightly thickened.
• Pour the mixture into a pie tin, stopping at least 1/2 inch below the rim. (If you have extra mixture, pour it into any small, shallow container to make smaller treats).
• Put the pie in the freezer and freeze until almost solid.
• Sprinkle the chopped nuts on the pie and use the back of a tablespoon to press them into the surface.
• Return the pie to the freezer until frozen solid.
• Use a nail to poke a hole in the rim of the pin tin, then tie a length of string or twine through the hole.
• Hang the suet pie in a tree near a window so you can watch the birds enjoy their treat.

Variations:

• Instead of, or in addition to nuts, add raisins, dried fruit, or birdseed to your suet pies.
• Suet can be placed inside wire suet cages or mesh bags, if you prefer.

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Vegetarian "Suet" Treat

What You Will Need:

• 1 cup Creamy or Chunky Peanut Butter
• 1 cup Solid Vegetable Shortening, such as Crisco
• 3 cups Cornmeal
• 1 cup Cracked Corn

What You Do:

• Melt the peanut butter and shortening together in a saucepan over low heat. (Adults should do this step).
• Stir in the cornmeal and cracked corn.
• Spread the mixture in a 9 x 13 baking dish and freeze until thickened but not frozen solid (about 30 minutes).
• Use a butter knife, plastic spatula, or tablespoon to spread the mixture in a suet log feeder; or cut the mixture into pieces and use to fill a wire cage suet feeder.
• Store any leftover mixture in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer until needed.

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Pinecone Treats

What You Will Need:

• Pinecones
• Thin Wire or Twine
• Cookie Sheet or Waxed Paper
• Peanut Butter
• Cornmeal
• Tablespoon
• Butter Knife
• Nails (optional)

What You Do:

• Working carefully to avoid breaking off the pinecones' scales, wrap the wire around each pinecone. Knot the wire to secure it, allowing an extra 6 to 12 inches for hanging.
• Set the cones on a cookie sheet or waxed paper for easy cleanup.
• Mix equal amounts of peanut butter and cornmeal until blended. Use the tablespoon to spread some of the mixture on each pinecone. (Make sure to keep a few small sections of pinecone uncovered with your mixture to allow birds to land on it without getting sticky feet). Use a knife to push the mixture into the crevices between scales.
• Hang each pinecone treat from a nail hammered into a post of any kind, or hang on a low branch of a tree.

Important Notes:

Suet feeders generally cannot accomodate many birds at one time, so add a few more feeders to make sure all your friends are well-fed.

Once you start to feed birds, they will become accustomed to the supply of food so you'll want to continue feeding them.

Birds need water, too, even in winter. You might consider investing in a bird bath heater to keep the water from freezing in the Winter.

*Technically, suet is the layer of fat around the kidneys of an animal, but in birdfeeding, suet has a much broader definition. Suet may be the fat trimmings from a steak as well as a block of pure, rendered, actual suet. Suet can be obtained from a butcher shop. For those who prefer not to handle suet or lard, vegetable-based shortening is an acceptable alternative that is also palatable to birds.

Want More Winter Activities for Kids?

We have lots of fun indoor and outdoor winter activities for kids of all ages in our Play With Your Kids section. Here are the links to these activities:
Ice Ornaments
Icy Bubbles
Snow Bowling
Track and Snow
Fox and Geese Backyard Game
Ice Spikes
Frozen Faces Treat
Indoor Snowball Fight
Marshmallow Snow Sculptures
Penny Hockey Game