The birch hanging suet feeder that I purchased last October has now become the most popular feeder in the yard.
I smear the holes with Bark Butter from Wild Birds Unlimited which is where I also bought the feeder.
Over the winter I saw very few bird customers using this feeder, and I almost gave up on it. But now the usual suet lovers like woodpeckers and nuthatches have found it and visit regularly. They are used to clinging on the trunks of trees, so it’s easy for them to use a feeder like this which has no perches.
However perching birds also enjoy this tasty treat. Chickadees, various blackbirds and sparrows either flap in place and try to peck the bark butter, or they sit on the top of the feeder and crane their necks to try to reach into the top two holes.
Last week I watched a Red-winged Blackbird mom bring her babies to the feeder. They were all eating seeds and nuts, but then they’d seem to forget they could eat on their own and instead do a feeding display for mom. They’d shimmy and shake their bodies to get her attention and then open their mouths up wide. I thought mom might ignore them, but instead she grabbed a beak full of bark butter and filled each hungry mouth.
I haven’t seen another feeder like this since I bought it, but if one ever appears again, I’d love to put another one in my front yard because it’s been such a big hit with so many birds.