(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Daily Bucket: The Lure of Suet at my Oregon Bird Feeders [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-09 A flock of Bushtits mob both sides of the suet feeder in my Willamette Valley backyard I love backyard bird feeders. Instead of peering at a tiny figure perched at the top of a tree, or trying to discern what’s twittering in that bush, the birds come out in plain view at the feeder, to be admired and photographed. he Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns. We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us. To have the Daily Bucket in your Activity Stream, visit Backyard Science’s profile page and click on Follow. Over the years, many woodland birds of the Pacific Northwest have shown up at my suet feeder in the Willamette Valley, like the flock of Bushtits above. These cute little western birds are very social, feeding as a group and huddling together on cold nights to keep warm. My homemade suet, based on lard, peanut butter, and oatmeal, like other suet mixtures probably mimics the high fat and protein of caterpillars, grubs, and other insect food. During summer I have noted parent birds taking beakfuls of suet away, apparently for their nestlings. Jays may store chunks of suet in hiding places for later meals. Suet can be a food resource for birds in winter when other menu items are scarce. Another advantage of a suet feeder is that size is obvious from the scale of the bird against the feeder. As an example, compare the sizes (body and beak!) of a male Downy Woodpecker and a female Hairy Woodpecker at the suet. The male Downy Woodpecker is smaller in size and has a less impressive beak compared to the female Hairy Woodpecker, Willamette Valley Here is a sampling of other birds that I have seen at my suet feeder: Townsend’s Warblers often showed up in the winter for suet, brightening dull overcast days.. A male Townsend’s Warbler during winter in the Willamette Valley Colorful Chestnut-backed Chickadees, a Pacific Northwest species, were regulars at the suet all year long. A Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Willamette Valley As were lively Red-breasted Nuthatches. Red-breasted Nuthatches loved the suet. And Dark-eyed Juncos — here the rusty-backed Oregon form. Oregon form of a male Dark-eyed Junco at the suet during a winter snow, Willamette Valley Spotted Towhees, which usually scratch away on the ground, visited the suet in winter. During a winter snow in the Willamette Valley, a male Spotted Towhee tried out the suet. Occasionally a bird would unexpectedly drop by, like this Hermit Thrush. A Hermit Thrush stops by the suet one December day, Willamette Valley. Or even a Song Sparrow. A Song sparrow at the suet, Willamette Valley One spring a migrating flock of Western Tanagers sampled the suet for a few days before moving on. A male Western Tanager with a bit of suet on his beak, Willamette Valley Two jays were suet fans, both in winter and summer: the California Scrub Jay and the raucous Steller’s Jay. (In 2016 the Western Scrub Jay was split into the coastal California Scrub Jay and the interior west’s Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay. www.audubon.org/...) A California Scrub Jay, Willamette Valley A Steller’s Jay with a morsel of suet to store for later, Willamette Valley — this jay is also common in Central Oregon And the largest of the suet birds were red-shafted Northern Flickers; it is always a treat to view their striking plumage. A male red-shafted Northern Flicker, here at the suet feeder in my Central Oregon yard. Keep on observing in your backyard or patch of nature! You never know what might turn up! [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/9/2150976/-Daily-Bucket-The-Lure-of-Suet-at-my-Oregon-Bird-Feeders Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/