Attracting Birds with Homemade Bird Suet

"Everyone likes birds.  What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?"
David Attenborough
 
www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/bird.htm

Save the drippings from your bacon and  other cooked meats.  You can also  purchase suet from  a butcher or buy lard  at your grocery store.  To keep from turning rancid, store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Soften your fat on low heat.  Avoid scorching since fat is flammable at high temperatures.

  Once melted, strain through cheesecloth to remove unwonted particles or  contaminants.

Commercial bird seed

The simplest combination is to mix equal parts seed with the fat.

Select a "mold".  (I picked these bundt pans up at a thrift shop. )  Coat with oil to help facilitate removal. 

You can add a variety of ingredients to your suet mixture.  I like to add crunchy peanut butter, flour, cornmeal, and  either crackers, nuts, dried or fresh fruit.  Experiment, but I have found that if in doubt, more fat is better then less.  

Once the pans are filled the suet needs to solidify.  Place in the refrigerator or freezer.    

A loaf pan is ideal for cutting into blocks and placing into suet feeders.

Hang in an area out of direct sunlight.