Beyond Your Backyard - Making suet cakes for the birds! 🐦❄️🌲

By Kimberly J Epp

We have been experiencing some unprecedented and prolonged deep freeze conditions here on the prairies, and as we try to keep warm in our homes have you wondered sbout the birds and other wildlife?

How are they able to survive?

How can we help?

It's interesting to understand how these tiny birds can survive in the first place, all while remaining so cheery!

The basic ingredients you will need.

While feathers are excellent insulators, the legs and feet of most birds lack this protective covering. For this reason, legs and feet are a major source of heat loss for birds.

Birds’ feet are mostly bone and tendons, so, unlike mammals, they have a limited supply of nerves, blood vessels, or muscles to freeze.

Beef suet is a main ingredient. It renders down differently than other fats so don’t try to use things like pork suet. It can be purchased at local butcher shops and is sometimes available at Safeway and Co-op.

Their feet are also covered with scales which, like our hair, aren’t living tissue and thus are less susceptible to freezing.

Most birds also have what is called a "counter-current heat exchange system".

Arteries and veins in their legs run parallel and in contact with each other. As the warm blood of the arteries enters the legs, the heat is transferred to the returning cold blood of the veins.

This allows the cooler blood to get heated up somewhat before reentering the body, which minimizes the heat lost to the cold air.

A slow cooker or a large pot can be used. If you use a pot on the stove set it to low heat.

Under very warm conditions, the countercurrent heat exchange mechanism can be bypassed, but it is a matter of life and death during these cold deep freeze winter conditions.

During extremely cold weather, heating the core takes less energy than heating the entire body.

Once the suet starts melting add non-salted peanut butter. There is no correct amount to add simply add what you have.

Birds such as chickadees can actually lower their body temperatures into a state of near hypothermia as they huddle together at night in order to help them survive the long winter nights.

The energy from the food they ate all day has to last all night to keep them warm, so when it is very cold, energy is conserved by going into near hypothermia.

Birds exhibit behavioral adaptations as well, such as standing on one leg and tucking the other among breast feathers, reducing by half the amount of unfeathered limb surface area exposed.

Adding rolled oats to the mixture is something that the birds will like.

You may often see this with Canada Geese...a flock of them standing in a field, using just one leg as they warm the other. Also, by sitting down and covering both legs, even on ice, heat loss from limbs is minimized.

So, what can YOU do to help them even more?

Keep wash and dry your egg shells. Once they are dry crumble them up into small pieces and put them into the mix. Calcium is important in birds’ diets especially in the winter months.

You can help our backyard birds out by putting out protein rich foods such as suet, black oilseed, sunflower seeds, peanuts, pine nuts, and suet. Try to do so every day, especially when it is this cold - and when the nights are the longest for these little birds.

Place the feeders in sheltered areas, but also where the birds can keep their eyes out for predatory birds.

Those predatory birds need to eat more during these conditions, too, so don't be surprised if you get a small falcon eying your bird feeders!

You then add some fruit. In this case cranberries but you can add other fruits you have to the mix.

The birds at your feeders use the fuel from the seeds/suet for survival over the long nights when they must huddle together for warmth.

If you have any bird houses, you could also put them out. Add some insulating nesting material. Keep them in a sunny area but also sheltered from the wind.

Mix it all together…you can have your children help!

Some birds will even peck snow tunnels under the snow to insulate themselves from the cold. Common Redpolls, which are irruptive (irregular) migrants, often do this.

You can also help our feathered friends out by making some yummy suet cakes which will keep the birds energy up so they can make it through those long cold nights.

Then add the cornmeal to the mix which helps it all stick together. In this case I added 1/2 a cup.

Follow the cornmeal with flour which helps make the cakes solid. In this case 1/2 a cup of flour was added. Save and use your old flower for this.

I made 19 suet cakes today plus some suet pine cones with the remnants.

I've included photos of what to put into your cakes as part of this column.

Lastly add the seeds.

In this case oil seeds - 4 cups - were used but you can also add peanuts, pine nuts or nyger seeds. Avoid using cracked corn or cheap fillers.

Usually, I do a program on winter bird feeding at this time of year, so consider this your tutorial. I will post on decorating a tree for wildlife following this, which is also why I made some suet pine cones for my tree.

This is a fun project to make with the kids. They are always eager to help and learn, but they will also likely get dirty...so wear old clothes!

Add the mixture to a pre-greased or wax paper lined mould.

Once the mold is filled you need to put them in the freezer to cool. With the sub zero temperatures you can place them outside to cool to save energy.

You could even make it a new yearly Christmas tradition. You can make enough cakes to store in the freezer for the year, with some leftover to give away as gifts.

You might even attract some new birds with your cakes...and there is no better vindication of a job well done than seeing a Downy Woodpecker pecking away at the wonderful gift you just made him/her!

The finished product which is much better quality than what you can buy in the store.

Plus making your own can be a family project with your children and grandchildren.

So try placing your suet feeders in proximity of a window so you can watch the birds enjoying it!

So, let's get started...and let's all help

out our feathered friends!

- KjEpp

#NationalBirdDayJanuary5

#FeedTheBirds

#DecorateATreeForChristmas 🐦🌲❄️

Wrap the finished product in Saran wrap or waxed paper and then put it into the freezer until it is time to put out for the birds.

You can even gift it to the neighbours, family or friends who enjoy nature and who would love to see and help out the birds.