Ann, I quit buying the suet with the lard, greasy stuff many years ago because it spoils here very quickly ... I guess it's good for up north where it gets very cold in winter but with our mild temp's and humidity it just doesn't seem to do anything but get slimy and moldy real quick. The only suet I put out now is the no-melt peanut suet dough and in winter I also sometimes make a mixture of peanut butter, bird seed, nuts and raisins and smear it on pine cones and on tree branches as well as stuff it into a suet feeder. All the birds love it!

Thank you Linda! I had the bedroom window open and the camera resting on the sill.

Thanks Lin. That was suet in the feeder not corn cobs. They go through it so fast that it really doesn't have time to mold.

plantladylin said:Ann, I quit buying the suet with the lard, greasy stuff many years ago because it spoils here very quickly ... I guess it's good for up north where it gets very cold in winter but with our mild temp's and humidity it just doesn't seem to do anything but get slimy and moldy real quick. The only suet I put out now is the no-melt peanut suet dough and in winter I also sometimes make a mixture of peanut butter, bird seed, nuts and raisins and smear it on pine cones and on tree branches as well as stuff it into a suet feeder. All the birds love it!

What I'm using are no melt cakes. I'll have to check & see if there's any lard.

Yep, there's beef lard in it. You know what's the weird part? Last winter I put this same stuff out & it did the same thing HOWEVER I waited till summer & tried it again & there was zero problem with it getting moldy. Is that strange or what? The cardinals & sparrows just loved it over the summer!

Off to find the peanut suet dough.

This is all a Google search turns up & it has beef kidney fat in it.?????
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HHSPCQ/

Oooh, and they get moldy??? I've never had the No Melt type get moldy at all. This is the one I buy:
No Melt Peanut Delight http://www.bestnest.com/bestne...

But they also make a bunch of others that I wish I could find locally:
No Melt Berry Delight http://www.bestnest.com/bestne...
No Melt Insect Delight: http://www.bestnest.com/bestne...
No Melt Orange Delight: http://www.bestnest.com/bestne...
No Melt Woodpecker Delight: http://www.bestnest.com/bestne...
No Melt Peanut Butte Delightr: http://www.bestnest.com/bestne...
No Melt Mealworm Delight: https://www.backyardchirper.co...

Ann, we cross posted. Gee, if it has beef and kidney fat in it, I wonder why it doesn't melt? Perhaps there's minimum amount and it mostly contains cornmeal and peanuts?

Actually, in the link you gave it says that one has beef suet in it. Now I'm more confused than ever.

These are the ones I am using:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/t...
http://www.tractorsupply.com/t...
http://www.tractorsupply.com/t...
I get them @ Tractor Supply who is super close to us. They have all kinds of flavors - I just posted a few of the ones I have gotten. And they are just $1.49 each, I often find them on sale for $1 each.

I still don't understand how they never got moldy in our summer weather -- especially this past summer which was a beast with El Nino! But when I put them out in cool weather they go kaput super fast!
I have about 5 cakes left. I think I will cut them up & just put a small piece at the time in so they can eat it up quick.

I would try the pinecones but I do not have any pinecones nor do my neighbors.

I don't allow gluten in my house so there's no way I can do the bagel thing.

I use the same no-melt peanut butter suet that Lin uses. It gets moldy when it rains. If there is no rain, it stays good for a long time ... often till the woodpecker eats it all! So when it is hot during the summer with no rain, I don't have to replace it as often.

I buy mine at Walmart and it costs about a $1.00.

Ann, I don't think it is the lard or suet, which is the fat from around the organs, that goes moldy, it is probably the grains and seeds. I have never had them go moldy in any season, I have been using Scott's brand but just bought Survival brand to try which is made in Canada. Favorite of the woodpeckers and chickadees is Scott's "Nutty Safari suet".

Hummmmm..... thanks guys. I might just have to wait for summer since the prediction this year is for a wet winter and I assume that means wetter than usual. The birds will just have to make do with the bird feeders. I hate it though because some of the birds seem to really love hanging out on the suet feeder & catching a quick snack. I felt so bad this afternoon when a little Carolina Chick a Dee got disappointed when he/she landed on the suet feeder only to find it empty.

Ann, the weather tonight was talking about our expected rain fall for winter and it was 15.5 inches. That's a lot for winter! I remember we had an El Nino year when I was a freshman in college. I thought my parents were exaggerating how wet it was until I came home for Christmas and they had sandbags around the well pump.

This is a good discussion of bird food, though. I'm really enjoying it even though I don't have bird feeders. Still, very informative and good info to have!

mellielong said:Ann, the weather tonight was talking about our expected rain fall for winter and it was 15.5 inches. That's a lot for winter! I remember we had an El Nino year when I was a freshman in college. I thought my parents were exaggerating how wet it was until I came home for Christmas and they had sandbags around the well pump.

This is a good discussion of bird food, though. I'm really enjoying it even though I don't have bird feeders. Still, very informative and good info to have!

Thanks for that info. Melanie. Yup, it's going to be a soggy winter. Normally, up here, we are very low humidity but with the predicted wet stuff this winter, it's going to be more humid. I love cold weather but not wet-cold. That just seeps right through my bones & feels so much colder.

I usually buy the peanut suet but I don't remember what brand it was. I get it at a feed store. I know it is the no melt kind too.

I have used both of those suet. The Delight brand is .92 here at Walmart. I have been feeding the nutty treat but they are eating it to quickly. So next time I will switch to another flavor. When I fed year round I would have periods where the birds were eating insects more than the suet. So my suet would get moldy. Even now I wait until it s really cooling down of the just will not eat fast enough. I used to use the no melt during the summer heat.

I posted just a few photos of the Banding Adventure from yesterday. The crew came up and caught 7 Painted Buntings, of which 3 were returnees from this past Winter or last Fall. They also caught a few other birds which they banded. The photos are here: The thread "Banding Adventure" in Gardening for Butterflies, Birds and Bees forum

Mum typically lets the babies under her wings to keep them warm.

Glen - That mum and baby Bush Stone-curlew is just simply adorable! I don't see many walking birds and babies here. Mainly just Sandhill Cranes, which are quite cute too. But I love the wonderful birdies you get there in Australia!