Hotlanta

[nlbarber]

It's hot. And humid. Gosh, San Diego was lovely...

I filled the bird feeders this morning, both seed and suet. I can see the suet cake in the backyard feeder from the window by the computer--the feeder is a cage-style that's much larger than the suet cakes I buy. The suet cake is slumped into a curved shape at the bottom, as it's too hot out there for it to hold its shape.

Current temperature is 93°F at 6 PM.

Comments

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Won't it go rancid and make the birds sick?

[nlbarber]

Good question--I don't know. It's almost all gone today, either eaten or melted to the ground. I'll try to remember to go out this evening (when I'm willing to brave the outside again) and sniff the little bit remaining to see if it's rancid. Guess I'd better check the one in the front yard, too, even though it's completely shaded. With the official temps hitting 100+ for the last few days, shade doesn't help all that much.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

I don't ever put out suet except in winter, even in my much cooler climate. I know if you leave sugar water in hummingbird feeders for more than a few days it will make the birds sick (which is why I try to plant flowers they like instead), and I can't imagine that 90+ temperatures would be good for something as fragile as fat. I figure if I wouldn't eat it in the condition I'm offering it, I probably shouldn't offer it to anyone else, either. Furry, feathered, or whatever.

JMHO.

[nlbarber]

These commercial suet cakes seem very popular (to the birds, that is) all year on my feeders--the downy and the red-headed woodpeckers, the brown thrashers, the bluebirds, they're all only to be found on the suet cakes. I'd like to keep using them, but I'm now checking to be sure I'm not harming the birds while attracting them to the feeder.

I'm just back from the store where I found 'no melt' suet cakes, labeled for all season use. Checked the ends of the other style cake in the shady feeder, and it doesn't smell rancid after ~6 days (and it's almost gone). The no-melt cake went in beside about a tablespoon of the melted cake on the other feeder, but the thrasher and the bluebird are going for the melted remnants. Those will be gone soon, and I'll see how the no-melt cake does.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

I've never heard of no-melt suet cake. They must not sell them up here. Sounds like they're intended for use in your hot weather, though, and so would be safe.

I do love the different kinds of birds suet attracts, though. Birds you never see at a seed feeder.