[wisb] Fw: Warblers, Suet, and paying for nothing

From: "jerry schoen" <basketsandbirds@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "wisconsin birding network" <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2009 17:05:10 -0600
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "jerry schoen" <basketsandbirds@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <calocitta8@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 2009 4:58 PM
Subject: Re: [wisb] Warblers, Suet, and paying for nothing


> More suet feeding ideas. Icalled ahead to see when steers were going to be 
> cut up,  spoke for the entire fat area around the kidney. Went to the 
> meat department at the local store. Picked up (for free0 the expandable 
> mesh bag they use to hold together smaller cuts to make a roast. Went to 
> the hardware store, picked up a 2 foot section of 6 inch stove pipe. Tied 
> one end of the bag shut and sliped it over the stove pipe..  Filled the 
> pipe with the suet and pushed it down as the bag was withdrawn. Tied the 
> top shot and hung up about a 15 pound chunk of suet which lasted most of 
> the winter.
> Jerry
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jesse Ellis" <calocitta8@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 2009 12:21 PM
> Subject: [wisb] Warblers, Suet, and paying for nothing
>
>
>> Hey all-
>> The several warblers reported attending suet feeders over the past month
>> make a useful segue for something I've wanted to throw out on the list 
>> for a
>> few months now. If you want to feed suet, esp. for lingerers like this, 
>> go
>> for real suet. Find a butcher and buy some. Render it if you like. If you
>> can find a local place, it's often dirt cheap (a buck a pound or so, even
>> for "grass-fed" beef suet).
>>
>> Two reasons, in my mind. If anyone else differs on this, I'd appreciate
>> hearing - I may well be wrong.
>>
>> 1) Birds come to suet for the fat. The fat, the fat, the fat. They are 
>> there
>> for the calories. When you buy suet shot with millet and corn, you're 
>> only
>> putting that stuff in the way of the birds that actually just want the 
>> fat.
>> When you buy ORANGE-FLAVORED or BERRY-FLAVORED suet, you're doing nothing
>> for the birds. I can't even believe those product exist.
>>
>> 2) When you buy premade suet cakes shot with corn and millet, you're 
>> ripping
>> yourself off. Corn can be bought for 6 bucks a bushel (that's a price
>> farmers LIKE, I think). (Google is telling me it's going for ¢381 a 
>> bushel
>> right now...). Millet is cheap too. If you want to feed birds corn and
>> millet, buy them separately and spread them out on the ground or on a
>> platform feeder. Then go to your butcher and buy some suet and offer it
>> separately. For $1.29 you get 8 oz of a mix of beef fat, corn and millet.
>> For even more (>$2.00) you can add your berry flavor. All for a product 
>> that
>> most birds would rather not eat as presented. (Peanuts, however, added to
>> suet may be a different matter. Peanuts are high in fat and protein and
>> birds who prefer suet would probably also eat peanuts - although I 
>> suspect
>> warblers wouldn't). For a few bucks you can get a huge bag of corn, a 
>> pound
>> of suet, and a bag of millet, a lot more than in a few of those suet 
>> cakes.
>>
>> How do you render suet? Chop it into little (littler seems to be better)
>> bits and melt it in a pan. I've seen references that suggest rendering
>> twice, pouring off the fat as it melts, and other things. Rendering is
>> helpful insofar as you can shape the suet a bit, and that it will last
>> longer in warm weather without going off. However, you can just cut a 
>> slice
>> of the stuff and stick it in your suet feeder for most of a Wisconsin 
>> winter
>> without worrying about it.
>>
>> Who eats suet? Species that are primarily or substantially insectivorous 
>> are
>> the classic suet consumers. Nuthatches, chickadees, and woodpeckers are 
>> the
>> winter standards, and none of them like corn or millet. Most sparrows and
>> other granivorous birds don't care for suet, although I've seen Juncos 
>> and
>> House Sparrows visiting suet feeders on occasion. Other winter lingerers
>> that eat lots of insects can benefit from pure suet, as well. Wrens, 
>> mimic
>> thrushes, and of course the warblers that kicked this off will all take 
>> suet
>> in dire conditions. Ever seen a wren or warbler eating corn? No? Me 
>> neither.
>> Shouldn't be in the suet if you want help out these lingerers.
>>
>> Why am I up on my soapbox about this? Mostly for the birds. I think 
>> standard
>> capitalism and a bit of miseducation have lead people to think that the 
>> more
>> complex the suet the better. This mostly seems to be an opportunity for
>> companies to take cheap ingredients and mark everything way up (aka add
>> value - but in this case it's not really of value to the organisms that
>> matter, the birds). None of this benefits the birds that consumers are
>> trying to help. I also don't like people with good intentions being 
>> ripped
>> off.
>>
>> If anyone disagrees with my opinions or facts, please let me know. If 
>> there
>> are truly good reasons for berry-flavored suet to be on the market, I'd 
>> like
>> to know about it.
>>
>> Good feeder-birding today in the snow, everyone.
>>
>> Dr. Jesse Ellis
>> Dept. of Zoology
>> University of Wisconsin - Madison
>> Dane County
>>
>> -- 
>> Jesse Ellis
>> Madison, Dane Co, WI
>>
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>>
> 

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[wisb] Fw: Warblers, Suet, and paying for nothing

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