Making Treats for the Birds

Making treats for the birds is fun activity for all ages and in particular a great way to connect kids with nature. Make a single treat for our feathered friends or several to decorate a tree in your yard or local park. Here are some fun and easy recipes for making treats for the birds. We’d love to see any treats you make and hang for the birds. Be sure to share some photos with us by tagging @WBUBarrie and @WBUNewmarket on Instagram or Facebook or use the hashtags #WBUBarrie #WBUNewmarket.

Suet Stuffing

• 1 Cup chunky all natural peanut butter.
• 1 Cup WBU Simply Suet® (pure rendered suet).
• 2½ Cups coarse yellow cornmeal. WBU Seed Blend (No-Mess, Choice Plus, Choice, Supreme), raisins, peanuts or other tree nuts (optional).

1. Soften suet.
2. Mix peanut butter, suet and cornmeal together.
3. Stir in birdseed, raisins or peanuts if desired.

Pine Cone Feeder

1. Pack Birdacious® Bark Butter® into pine cones.
2. Roll pine cones in WBU Seed Blend.
3. Hang with string or ribbon from a tree.

Suet “Muffins”

1. Secure a piece of heavy craft paper to the bottom of a pipe cleaner.
2. Place in muffin tin cup. Spoon in Suet Stuffing.
3. Repeat for each muffin cup.
4. Place the muffins in the freezer to harden.
5. Once hardened, remove from the tin and hang the suet muffins on a tree or, if temperature is above freezing, place in feeding stations.

Grapefruit Feeder

1. Poke three holes in the edges of a hollowed-out grapefruit half.
2. Run twine through the holes.
3. Spoon Suet Stuffing into grapefruit; sprinkle WBU Seed Blend on top, and place in the freezer to harden.
4. Once hardened, knot the strings at the top and the bottom to secure.
5. Hang outside near a window.

Bagel Feeder 

1. Split bagels in half and harden overnight.
2. Spread peanut butter on each side and then sprinkle with WBU Seed Blend.
3. Tie a string through the hole, and hang from a tree.

Wild Bird Seed Cookies (Makes 2-3 Dozen) 

• 2 Cups flour.
• ½ Tsp. baking powder.
• ½ Cup sugar.
• 2/3 Cup WBU Simply Suet® (pure rendered suet).
• 2 Eggs.
• 2/3 Cup WBU Seed Blend.
• Macaroni elbows or ditali pasta pieces as hangers.
• 1 Egg white for wash.
• 1 Cup WBU Seed Blend for garnish.
• Bird-shaped cookie cutters.
• Yarn or twine to hang cookies.

1. Sift dry ingredients together.
2. Cut in suet with pastry blender or fork until crumbly.
3. Add eggs and mix.
4. Add WBU Seed Blend.
5. Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead until smooth.
6. Wrap in wax paper, seal in plastic bag and chill for at least an hour.
7. Roll out on lightly floured surface to ¼” thickness.
8. Cut out bird shapes.
9. Press in macaroni piece towards the top of each cookie for ease in hanging.
10. Brush cookies with slightly beaten egg white.
11. Press more WBU Seed Blend over the top of each cookie.
12. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
13. Bake at 325° F for 12-15 minutes or until cookies harden.
14. Cool and hang.

Additional Treat Ideas

Decorations that can be strung and placed on the tree include popcorn, fresh cranberries, thick fresh orange slices, peanuts in the shell, dried apples or dried figs on heavy string.

You can also hang rice cakes with string, fresh crab apples by the stem, baby dried corn bundles, dried ears of colorful corn husks, or red seedless grapes tied up in bunches.

In addition, peanuts in the shell and whole walnuts can be scattered under the tree.

Natural rough brown string, ribbon and raffia can be used for hanging the decorations. Also, consider decorating with lengths of natural wool. The birds will use this material for nesting in the spring.