It’s suet season for the birds who visit my gardens. This over-wintering Orange-crowned Warbler, Leiothlypis celata, is a frequent nibbler of the peanut butter infused, commercial suet block.
I only offer suet in the cooler months of the year. Central Texas is far too warm from April/May until December, to set out suet. It melts in summer’s heat or turns rancid in balmy autumn; it becomes gross and the birds won’t touch it. Can you blame them? There are better alternatives for commercial bird food in those months: sunflower and safflower seeds, peanuts, and mixed varieties of seeds all give proper nourishment for birds, and while the birds are eating and jostling for the best perches, entertainment for humans. In winter, suet provides needed calories during cold temperatures, though black-oiled sunflower seeds and peanuts also supply healthy fat alternatives as well.
Using commercial bird seed in the yard is a wonderful way to observe, appreciate, and learn about our native and migrating birds. That said, native plants which have foliage, produce seeds and fruits, and host a variety of insects, are the best food sources for birds. Plants and birds evolved together over eons, and plants exist to feed and provide cover for critters. A garden full of native trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals is not only beautiful, but more importantly, is alive with activity and life. Birds, pollinators, mammals, and reptiles seek food and shelter in a diverse ecosystem–no matter the size. Human caregivers of garden ecosystems can appreciate the garden’s beauty while enjoying the antics of those who need the garden to survive and thrive. A healthy, diverse garden community is vital for wildlife and a continual source of fun and learning throughout the year.
Winter is a good time to plan a new garden. Removing some (or all!) of your sterile, water-hogging, high maintenance turf, and replacing it with native plants is the way to bring nature home: to provide a safe place for wildlife displaced through urban encroachment, habitat loss, and improper chemical use.
So far this winter, the Orange-crowned Warbler is the only winter migratory visitor at the suet. I haven’t yet witnessed suet snacking from Yellow-rumped Warblers or Ruby-crowned Kinglets, though I fully expect to. Some resident birds, Carolina Wrens and Black-crested Titmice, have made a stop at the suet feeder part of their daily rounds and are suet buddies with the Orange-crowns.
In my garden this winter, I’ve observed two Orange-crowned warblers, as well as one Yellow-rumped Warbler and one Ruby-crowned Kinglet. These three species are not native to Texas, but migrate south for the winter months; there are usually a few of each in my gardens from November through April. I enjoy their presence in the garden and having feeders allows me to observe them more easily. These flitty, tiny birds are challenging to observe in trees and shrubs! Once all the foliage from the trees has dropped, the birds are easier to see as they bop about the limbs, eating insects, and chasing one another in duels for the best eating spots.
This female noshes at the suet and peanut feeders several times each day. I buy my suet from Wild Birds Unlimited, but many bird fans make their own suet and there are plenty of recipes on the internet.
Winter is a great time to bird watch and plan for the next garden season. Gardening with, or simply observing native plants is a small but powerful counter in a world where we as individuals have little control or positive influence. Spending time outdoors, listening to bird and insect song, creating and nurturing life and diversity with a native garden is a balm for an often broken world and a positive step toward a more hopeful future.
My Gardener Says... 
I have had some winter visitors, but they are keeping to the trees. I saw a Kinglet and I’m sure the rest are Yellow-rumps. I don’t put suet out because of raccoons.
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I bring my feeders in every late afternoon because of the raccoons and rats. Ugh.
I love to watch the birds in the trees, but it’s tricky!
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I mostly hear them.
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Forgot, I have also had Robins.
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Oh, how nice! I usually see a few, but there are never many around here.
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Just as migrating birds count on noshing in your yard, I count on you to use that word to describe it.
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And I don’t use ‘nosh’ in any other context. There are just a few colorful words for ‘eat’ and nosh is my favorite.
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What? No other context? Not even when a person grabs a bagel with cream cheese?
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Lol, no. I’m also not a big fan of bagels. Sacrilege, I know.
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Oy vey!
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Nice post, Tina. It is such a pleasure to observe birds at feeders in winter. My suet is coveted by woodpeckers (downy, hairy and red-bellied), but we also see nuthatches, chickadees, titmice and even bluebirds. Lots of juncos and white-throated sparrows clean up on the ground. We have 3 types of Ilex and a crabapple that are seeing a lot of action lately. The fruit is disappearing fast!
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Oh, you have a nice array of suet visitors! I’d love to see a nuthatch in my garden.
My Possumhaw holly has berries ready to go for the Cedar Waxwings. One day, they’ll swoop in and devour the lot. They also like the berries on my non-native Burford holly; they’ll strip it in a day or two, as well.
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Such a lovely post Tina. I haven’t fed birds in the past months because the squirrels came and brought all their friends–too much digging. Maybe I should put the feeder back up now it’s actually pretty cold at night(24F). We watch the birds through the windows. Lots of robins, also a lot of little birds eating grass seed.
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Thank you! Squirrels like to get on the mesh peanut feeder, but I mix it with a bit of pepper sauce and they’re not fond of that. I do toss out peanuts in the shells for them, though; they compete with the blue jays for those goodies!
So lucky to have robins. I rarely see them in my area, but I think they’re just charming.
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Wishing you many avian visitors to your bird feeders and winter garden. It’s a good way to while away cold and overcast days.
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It is, indeed!
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🐦🐦🐦
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I just put out some suet today, too. The woodpeckers, especially, seem to like it. Your thoughts on native plantings are wonderful, as well. 🙂
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Anything for the woodpeckers…! That said, woodpeckers rarely come to my suet, but they love the peanuts!
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I’ve never used suet, although, if woodpeckers like it, I might try some. Up to now, it’s been just too warm. I stick to shelled peanuts, the Wild Bird no-mess blend (mostly shelled sunflower), and white millet. Our management doesn’t mind us feeding the birds, but they prefer that we avoid the shells! Now that the wrens are around again, I’ll add some dried mealworms. The mockingbirds love those, and they might attract robins if there are any that come through — we mostly don’t see them, but sometimes they’re around for a few days.
I don’t think I have any warblers stopping by, but I do have goldfinches, bluejays, cardinals, chickadees, starlings, and a pair of mallards that wander up from the marina from time to time!
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It is too warm much of the year for suet, that’s for sure. My Carolina wrens, titmice, sometimes Carolina chickadees and the winter warblers are the main nibblers of the suet. The other day, I saw a squirrel nibbling some, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen. If I leave it out accidentally at night, I know rats will get to it. Grr.
I’ve never had any luck with meal worms; I wonder if I should try them again?
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I’ve found the mealworms are really chowed down during nesting season. There’s nothing happier than a mockingbird with three nestlings who knows where to find food!
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What kind of feeder do you use? I assume there’s such a thing as a mealworm feeder. Heading to WBU website now. 🙂 Love me some mockingbirds and their chicks!
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