Over the winter I put out several suet blocks and enjoyed watching many birds coming and going. It took a while for birds to reduce the suet since it was frozen most of the time. Now that it is summer I have only one suet block out and it goes fast requiring refilling the suet cage almost daily.
I can sit at my kitchen table and watch the birds. The main birds I see are Downy & Hairy woodpeckers, Red-bellied woodpecker, Gray Catbird, Nuthatch, and Chickadee.
The Red-bellied woodpecker was new to me; I had never seen one. I identified it using Merlin Bird ID – Free, instant bird identification help and guide for thousands of birds – Identify the birds you see. You can download the app to your phone and identify birds when you are on the go. These are screenshots from the app.
In addition to being able to visually identify the birds, I enjoyed listening to the sounds the birds make. Now I can identify the sounds without seeing the birds. And the cool thing this is all right from my kitchen or screened porch. The suet is bringing a little bit of nature and wildlife to our yard. Of course I have to fight off an occasional red squirrel (or five, who knows, they all look alike).
I am only able to see the birds through the screen so this makes getting a clear photo of them difficult. Recording video makes it easier to see the birds. Here is a compilation of the activity, less the Gray Catbird.
In the video you can see a adult male Red-bellied woodpecker feeding an immure one. It is pretty neat. Then you will see the immature woodpecker on his own. He (or she) is getting the hang of eating from the suet.
So there you have it, a little peek into our little bubble with an active suet feeder. I like the suet because it is simple. No big bags of bird seed to haul around. The suet blocks store easily and replacing them is quick and easy.
I realize that some people don't believe in bird feeding in the summer due to bears, etc. Our neighbor has several feeders providing a wide variety of birds with a food source year round, the bears have never disturbed the feeders. [Until two days after I posted this - see video below]
We have flowers and birdbath. So that brings Hummingbirds, and non-suet eating birds to the yard.
Update: we were hanging out in the Barn Lounge when I could hear a rattling over at the neighbor's yard. Looked out and saw a bear, and later realized two bears, were having an evening snack. Here is a rough video.
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