Make Treats for Birds - Countdown to Christmas - Day 21

Today we made some treats for the birds. Sophia, Olivia, and I made Amish Bird Suet - a recipe I found in a cookbook many years ago.

Olivia is mixing the oats, cornmeal, flour, and sugar

into the melted ingredients.

The birds enjoy this suet; and there seems to always be a bird at the feeder when this suet is in it.

So, we filled the regular wire suet feeders as well as mesh bags (the kind that onions come in) with squares of the suet once it had cooled. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup lard, at room temperature
2 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant)
2 cups cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
Leftover nuts of any kind

Directions
Melt the peanut butter and lard together over medium heat. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pans. Cool and then cut into squares. Wrap extra squares in plastic wrap and store in a cool place until needed.

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Sophia collecting pinecones.

After the girls were done making the suet, we went outside and they collected some pinecones.

Olivia selecting a pinecone.

On the way to the pine trees, they discovered a little door in the pine tree. Needless to say, they were thrilled and completely fascinated by the little hinges and door knob.

A little door was discovered by the girls.

It's at the base of the pine tree in the front yard.

We went back inside and they spread peanut butter on the pinecones.

Spreading the pinecone with peanut butter.

Then rolled them in birdseed.

Rolling the pinecone in birdseed.

Later, we put them on three trees.  Within an hour, the black-capped chickadees had found the feeders on the cherry tree on the west side of the house.