Homemade Treats Help Wild Birds Stay Warm

Posted by: Kimberly Mason on January 1, 2013

A meatball-sized roll of Peanut Buttery Bird Meal placed on the top of an old fence post attracts a Song Sparrow on a bitterly cold winter morning.

During harsh winter cold snaps it’s important for our backyard birds to have high-quality, high-calorie meals to keep their weight up and keep them warm.

This recipe is a proven favorite of backyard birds — from the smallest Chickadee to the largest Western Scrub Jay — and can be made from ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.

Set out a meatball-sized roll of this tasty treat on a plate filled with seeds, smear it on a perching branch, on the edge of a flower box, or on a pine cone and hang in a tree, then sit back and watch them flock to the dinner table in numbers.

If your backyard birds don’t take advantage of this treat right away, don’t give up! Wild birds can be suspicious sorts, it may take them time to trust that your delicious treat isn’t a trap.

Peanut Buttery Bird Meal Recipe: 1 part each of smooth peanut butter, vegetable shortening (like Crisco), white flour (NOT self-rising) and 3 parts yellow corn meal (NOT self-rising). Mix ingredients together well. Place in a suet log or roll a tablespoon-sized ball and set out where the birds can reach it. Store unused mix in a closed container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

A White-crowned sparrow pauses to pose for the camera before diving into a plateful of peanuts, sunflower seeds and a smear of homemade peanut and cornmeal bird treat. You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on a fancy bird feeding station, a simple plate filled with a few tasty treats will do.