Birds on the Brain

Well, I've got lots of birds for you today!! We got 4 inches of snow over night and when that happens we get lots of activity at the bird feeders because the birdies are looking for something to eat after everything has been covered with snow. And..... I finished up a brand new bird make do today!! He is made with a stained muslin that I printed the cursive alphabet on. I'm sure you all remember staring at that at the top of the chalkboard when we were kids, I know I do. This sweet little bird was just listed in my etsy shop!

Also today I made homemade suet and suet holders. Wow...I guess I got a lot done today!!

Here are a couple of pictures right after I hung up the feeders. Mrs. Red-Bellied Woodpecker Mr. Cardinal were checking them out. They never did land on them. Maybe tomorrow.

Here's the How To to make the suet and the hangers. This was posted in the Birds and Blooms latest issue.

Suet Hanger

Supplies: 14-gauge galvanized wire (sold in 100-ft. rolls in the hardware store)

pliers and wire cutters

glass spice jar or other 2 inch diameter jar

duct tape

spray primer and paint approved for metal

(I didn't use the spray paint)

Take your wire and make a little hanger at the top before wrapping around the jar. Then right where you start to wrap on the jar put a piece of tape to hold the wire in place. Then smoothly wrap around the jar until you think you have it long enough for the suet to rest inside with room to spare. Then at the bottom where you cut it off, use your pliers to bend in the wire to form a curlicue so the suet don't fall out the bottom.

Suet

Supplies: 1 cup of lard or bacon drippings

1 cup of oatmeal

1 cup of corn meal

1 cup of chunky peanut butter

raisins

bird seed

cardboard toilet paper tubes

aluminum foil

rubber bands

In a pan, melt lard, peanut butter together. Then add in your oatmeal, cornmeal, raisins and bird seed. Then let cool a little. Mean while put foil over one end of the cardboard tub and wrap a rubber band around to hold in place. Then spoon in your mixture in the tubes. This recipe made enough to fill 5 tubes for me. Then put them in the freezer and harden. After frozen just peel off the foil and the cardboard tubes and place in your new suet holder!! This was super easy to do!

Now here are a few bird pics that I took today!

Mourning Dove

This sweet little bird that I don't see very often is a Carolina Wren

Mr. Cardinal

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Mr. Junco

So Sweet Junco

Ok that's all for now. I sure did have a big post tonight didn't I??!! :)