Hi, all!  Trimming a tree outside with edible ornaments for birds provides a win-win in the winter survival game. Hungry birds benefit from nutritious seeds, fruits, nuts, and other treats festooning the branches of an evergreen tree or shrub. It’s fun to while away a harsh winter day by stringing fruit and popcorn, shaping bread cookies, and mixing seeds with suet for a bird banquet. Actually, It is a great way to repurpose a holiday tree or decorate one growing in your yard. Ground-feeding birds, such as cardinals, jays, and juncos, will appreciate the decorations that fall from the tree. Insect-eating birds, such as woodpeckers, flickers, and nuthatches, prefer suet. Birds do come to rely on your generosity, so keep the tree well-stocked throughout winter and spring nesting season. 

During winter, suet and nuts last the longest outdoors. You can find suet (beef fat) at the meat market or in prepackaged cakes with birdseed or nuts. To make your own suet cakes: in a microwave-safe bowl, combine 2 cups of suet, 2 cups of birdseed, 1 cup of cornmeal, and ½ cup of peanut butter. Heat for about 30 seconds to soften the fats. Stir to blend. Use this mix to make cut-out ornaments with cookie cutters from bread. Poke a hole near the center of each bread cutout and thread a length of twine through it. Knot the twine ends to make a hanging loop. Dip one side of bread into melted suet and press it into safflower seeds. Set the bread cutout on a baking sheet until the fat hardens. Coat the other side of the bread cutout with melted suet. Sprinkle seeds onto it and press them into place. Here are some other seeds our birds love: black sunflower, millet, and niger. Birds also love dried and fresh fruits, dried seed heads gathered from your garden. 

Next month we will be talking about growing plants from seed. So it is time to start thinking about which ones you are interested in trying and gathering your supplies… Have some happy spring planting dreams!