Homemade Suet for the wild birds

It's much better than the store-bought variety.

Homemade Suet

1 cup Snowdrift, butter flavor (shortening) (Omitted from above picture)

1 cup Crunchy Peanut butter

2 cups Oatmeal

1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal

1/3 cup sugar

Box of raisins

Note: Can add raisins, sunflower seeds, or dried fruit.

Melt shortening and  peanut butter in the microwave.  Stir in remaining ingredients and pour into plastic containers. Store suet in the freezer until needed. Super wildlife treat! I usually double the recipe.

Chattyhummer

Favorite pictures from the Ross Barnett Reservoir



White Pelicans



White Egrets

Goodbye hummers... 9/24/2010

An Evening with Jean Enochs and Betty Malony of Madison

All during the day I kept watching the hummingbird feeders. Where were the birds? Did they leave during the night? Three times I picked up my cell phone to cancel the appointment with Jean Enochs and Betty Maloney, Madison. I didn’t want to disappoint them but the situation wasn’t promising. Something told me just to be patient!

What an evening! This was the last night before the migrated. It is truly a neat experience. The birds were drinking like they were starving to death but actually they were “tanking up” before crossing the Gulf, taking 18-20 hours.

Until later,
Chattyhummer

Betty Maloney, Madison



Can you see the tongue?  (Jean Enochs hand)





The hummer is content with Jean

 Jean Enochs, Madison


Betty felt the hummer's little feet





What a headache!  I’ve been trying different ways to feed the hummers.  Our local bird shops didn’t sell hummingbird vials so I made my own.  I’ve used several creative ideas but this day I picked up flower vials from the local florist.  I spray painted the caps red but I must have used the wrong type of paint.  The plastic caps never dried.  The second time,  I painted the caps with red finger nail polish and wrapped part of the vial with red duct tape.  YES…I feel like a “red-neck”.  Since this time, I found commercial vials with red tops but I still like my spice caps the best of all. 

Carol Rives, Ridgeland, Sept. 2010

Carol is a retired librarian and a Master Gardener.    She has been a big help to me in recommending plants for the garden.  We have had long conversations about winter flowers.  I really enjoyed the hollyhocks, pansies, and snap dragons.  She also publishes a monthly letter, Garden Notes,  for neighbors and friends.  This tells us step-by-step what we need to do each month!

Chattyhummer

Two birds ready for a duel!



Blue Dragonfly

Isn't he beautiful?  He loves the lantana in the garden.

Friends from work--9/19/10



We usually feed the hummers after work around 5:30 - 6:45.  I noticed that by 7 P.M. that most birds have flown to the woods.
Chattyhummer

Jaclyn Lewis, Jackson

Stephanie Jurss, Ridgeland




 

Jeana Smith, Ridgeland

Jeana's hand....Sometimes we get a little surprise.  Wasp and bees are only here for the nectar.  I haven't been stung yet but I'm accustomed to having them lick'n my fingers!





John Arthur, Brandon, MS  He had 4 birds visiting him!

Chuck Gautier and his children, Charlie and Meagan 9/17/10

This was the first time children have tried to hand-feed the hummingbirds in the garden. I like to work with one or two people at a time because this is the way I trained the birds.

From this experience, I learned that next time I’ll have the child to stand on a small stool so that the feeding height would be the same as an adult.

Hummingbirds are sensitive to noise and movement. With so much movement in the yard, it took awhile for the birds to settle down and to check out the guests.

Also, it would be helpful to give a child a flower vial tube with nectar instead of the mini-hand feeder. Maybe this would discourage bees and wasps that scare so many people. It was a positive experience enjoyed by all.

Chattyhummer

Gourd Festival in Raleigh, MS 9/18/10

This is my friend, Carol Booker.  We decided to drive to Raleigh to go to the first annual gourd festival.  I've NEVER seen so many different types.  I've never heard of a "warty gourd."  It's a bowl with a lid. We certainly do have some creative artist in the area.  I got a gourd with a hummingbird painted on the side!

Chattyhummer

Jane Phillips of Brandon, MS 9/9/10

Humming My Way?



Chattyhummer

 We’re seeing more hummingbirds every day! This week I invited friends and family to visit my private garden to observe and hand-feed the birds. I’m mixing five cups of sugar per day. The trainers are no longer necessary as the birds are happy with the tiny spice caps.

Even though it probably was not necessary, I encouraged everyone to wear bright  clothing. The tiny hummers seem to enjoy the visitors and are not as fearful as before. The Ruby-throats are now resting on thumbs, pinkie fingers and flying eye-to-eye with the visitors. This has been an incredible experience!

September 2 – 7, 2009
Labor Day
Chattyhummer