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Bird seed ornaments--SOS!!!!
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Posted by prussell z6 TN (My Page) on Mon, Nov 10, 03 at 10:58
| I saw the post about how to make these just when I though about doing them for Christmas gifts. So, I tried a recipe with mixed bird seed (heavy on sunflower seeds), gelatin, and peanut butter. They looked fabulous. BUT, THE BIRDS WON'T TOUCH THEM!!! I live in a relatively low bird population area, so I asked some friends to try them out, but they saw no visitors either. Obviously, I don't want to give these if the birds hate 'em.
Is it possible that there's too much good food out there right now for the birds to bother with these things? Or was my recipe/bird seed mix just wrong?
Please help!!! |
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RE: Bird seed ornaments--SOS!!!!
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- Posted by annsb Ont. z5 (My Page) on
Tue, Nov 11, 03 at 12:08
I made a recipe years ago which used suet (bought at meat dept at grocery store) and birdseed. You cut the suet onto small pieces and melt in microwave. Add seeds when partially cooled then leave until hardened. You could also add peanut butter if you wanted to. My son drilled holes in small log then we filled it with mixture.Add a cuphook at the top so it can hang. He gave them away for christmas and we kept one ourselves. The birds loved it especially the ones that cling like nuthatches and brown creepers. Plus you can reuse the log.:o)
Ann |
RE: Bird seed ornaments--SOS!!!!
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| I've always put peanut butter, no gelatin, on the pinecone and then rolled it in seeds before hanging it in the tree and the birds love them. |
RE: Bird seed ornaments--SOS!!!!
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| It's entirely possible that the timing is affecting the use of your ornaments. Right now there are a lot of ripe seeds out there in the wild and the birds may be busy eating things with which they're more familiar. Patience. You might try hanging one near feeder filled with a black oil sunflower seeds. Most birds will come to these seeds and then may try your treat. Good luck and Merry Christmas,
Jane
Backyard Wildlife Habitat Steward
National Wildlife Federation |
RE: Bird seed ornaments--SOS!!!!
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| My family always used either suet, or peanut butter, or a combination. We never used gelatin. The suet and peanut butter provide much needed calories for the birds, especially as it gets colder. Perhaps the gelatin was what put them off? |
RE: Bird seed ornaments--SOS!!!!
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| I found this when looking for ingredients for homemade bird feeder ornaments. I had no idea there is a danger to birds. It seems suet is the better choice. by ellegee on 11/25/2006
"Birds have no salivary glands," said Lee Amigh, an environmental educator at Lancaster County Central Park. That explains why birds can choke on peanut butter, said Amigh, who prefers to mix the bird seed with cornmeal (for traction) or with lard (it’s slippery.) With birds peanut butter is a real danger." |
maybe weather, maybe gelatin RE: Bird seed ornaments--SOS!!!!
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| which I've never heard of being used - it was always suet or some other hard fat, just a little bit of peanut butter, and seeds. it could be the weather - it only just froze out here in the Philly region - I had petunias still blooming three days ago, and I heard the 'bird lady' up the block complaining that they were ignoring her. the good thing is that you can chop the ones you made up, and mix in melted fat (suet, lard, shmaltz, coconut oil is also a solid below about 65 degrees) and maybe some more seeds (try millet) and improve them some, rather than just dumping them. a BIT of peanut butter, particularly well lubricated with grease, is far less of a danger. |
RE: Bird seed ornaments--SOS!!!!
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| I agree with previous a post birds peanut butter is a real danger, visit http://birdseeds.22web.net/art.html |
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