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Index of Subjects --0015174c17341160db04b3d9bdcb Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Birds of North America online suggests that downy and hairy woodpeckers do regularly make vegetable/seed matter part of their diets. However, it typically makes up less than 25% (assuming they aren't eating at feeders), and a great majority of their food is insect matter. So, perhaps they can make use of seed products added to suet mixes, but don't normally rely on seed to a great degree. It is hard to know the proportion of their diet that is gathered from feeders. Perhaps a high proportion of vegetable/seed matter isn't a big deal if they only drop by occasionally. I imagine it might be a problem if they ate at the suet feeder constantly. The woodpeckers around my place don't seem to be feeder addicts--they just drop by a couple of times per day and stay for a relatively short time. Sometimes they go for sunflower seed and sometimes suet. The jays are much more likely to stay until the food is gone (or inconveniently available). Birds of North America online did lead me to a paper suggesting that feeding suet in warm weather may be problematic for woodpeckers, as melted suet may saturate the feathers on their face and result in bare patches on the face. The observations from that study were made in spring/summer, and the data was correlational in nature. Jeff On Sun, Dec 11, 2011 at 3:34 PM, Stephen R. Shaw <srshaw@dal.ca> wrote: > Like Bob, I use a similar system of squirrel-proofed hanging logs each > with 4 * 1.25 inch holes, that I fill with a mixture of melted suet (approx > 2 parts) to peanut butter (very approx 1 part, 'measured' by eye). The > stuff sets in the log holes in a few tens of minutes even in the summer. > The suet is the Sobeys ground, worm-like stuff which they sell sometimes, > that melts immediately in a pan with little smell. The woodpeckers (downy, > some hairy and the occasional flicker) love the mixture, chickadees too. > > If your aim is mainly to feed woodpeckers and not other birds this way via > hanging logs, why would you include all these veggie seed products? Jeff's > recently recommended Old Zick Dough recipe actually contains 5/7 parts > cornmeal + oats + flour, and only 2/7 parts fats. Bob's recipe sounds > proportionally more fatty, but do woodpeckers really eat and digest > seed-based carbohydrate/protein, or do they just discard it as bycatch > below the log? I thought they mostly ate insects, in summer at least, not > seeds. > > Request for info: what do our common woodpeckers normally eat, especially > in winter? Has anyone observed any local woodpecker species frequently > eating seeds? Specifically, do woodpeckers actually benefit from us adding > seed products to the suet-PB mix, or is the benefit there only for blue > jays and the like in a different physical arrangement, like the flat mesh > baskets? Our BJs and most other common perching birds can't access the > hanging logs, though we've had starlings give it a shot by trying to > emulate hummingbirds. > Steve (Halifax) > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > Quoting Bob McDonald <bobathome@hfx.eastlink.ca>: > >> Hi All, >> Here's my offering to the birds during winter (not really a recipe since >> no measurements are made!): >> >> We have made friends with the butcher at the local Sobey's store and he >> will give us beef fat trimmings at no charge (I've heard that some places >> actually charge for this stuff!). We have to arrive just after lunch since >> they throw it all out around mid-afternoon. >> I chop it up into small chunks and heat at full power in the microwave >> for 5 min. I pour off any liquid generated and repeat the procedure until >> little additional oil is produced. By this time, it's a bit smelly and so >> I put the residue into the garage. >> I collect the oil in a large plastic container (1-2 L size) and toss in a >> few spoonfuls each of peanut butter (organic or not; the birds don't seem >> to care), corn meal, sunflower or other seeds, oatmeal and millet. I put >> the mixture out into the garage to cool and stir it up once in a while to >> make it as homogeneous as possible. When solid, it has to be stored in the >> fridge or it will go off. >> I have half a dozen logs into which I've bored a number of 1 inch holes >> about 1-1.5 inch deep. I fill the holes with the mixture and hang them up >> at various spots in the yard. Of course, woodpeckers and nuthatches are >> particularly attracted by this mix but chickadees and the occasional >> overwintering warbler (Pine, Orange-crowned or Yellow-rumped) will also >> partake. >> Before the mixture has solidified, it can also be used to fill the >> plastic containers that the commercial bird suet mixtures come in. >> Hope this helps. >> >> Bob McDonald, >> Halifax >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- From: <duartess@ns.sympatico.ca> >> To: "Naturelist" <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> >> Sent: Monday, December 05, 2011 10:44 AM >> Subject: [NatureNS] Homemade Suet Cake Recipes >> >> >> Hello All, >>> >>> I have misplaced the homemade suet cake recipes that I had, that folks >>> have shared on this list from previous years. >>> >>> Was wondering if there are some who wouldn't mind sharing these recipes >>> again and the most successful ways they have found to offer the suet. >>> >>> Thank you in advance. >>> >>> Sincerely, >>> >>> Gayle MacLean >>> Dartmouth >>> >> >> > -- Jeff MacLeod Halifax --0015174c17341160db04b3d9bdcb Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div>Birds of North America online suggests that downy and hairy woodpecker= s do regularly make vegetable/seed matter part of their diets. However, it = typically makes up less than 25% (assuming they aren't eating at feeder= s), and a great majority of their food is insect matter.=A0</div> <div><br></div><div>So, perhaps they can make use of seed products added to= suet mixes, but don't normally rely on seed to a great degree.=A0</div= ><div><br></div><div>It is hard to know the proportion of their diet that i= s gathered from feeders. Perhaps a high proportion of vegetable/seed matter= isn't a big deal if they only drop by occasionally. I imagine it might= be a problem if they ate at the suet feeder constantly. The woodpeckers ar= ound my place don't seem to be feeder addicts--they just drop by a coup= le of times