Spring, I just melted down some suet and mixed in birdseed and cornmeal (no particular ratio), then spooned the mix into mini-muffin tins and stuck a metal ornament hanger in each cup, popped in the frig till they solidified and hung them out. Put a bit of honey in one batch and peanut butter in another. I don't think it matters, the suet seems to bind it all no matter what I added. My sister-in-law brought the larger balls, and she wrapped them in mesh (from satsuma bags). The birds went through everything except the fruit quite quickly, I've replenished it several times. I plan to keep the tree on the deck for a while. The popcorn is a big hit and the whole tree gets covered with birds shortly after I toss a fresh batch out. Not too messy, as the ground feeding birds take care of the spillage. My cat seems to be content to just watch them from inside, I haven't yet seen her stalking the tree.
