10/29/2026
Please be sure wildlife treats are Safe! NOT All Food is the Same… Please know the differences or look up all parts of “treats” to help sure they are ok. Keep loving, advocating & supporting them 🫶🐾
𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗚𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗧 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗣𝗔𝗡. 𝗜𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗 𝗥𝗨𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗞𝗘𝗘𝗣 𝗠𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠.
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁. 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱.
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘 𝗚𝗜𝗙𝗧 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗘
“I saw you hanging something new outside.
It smelled like food. It was rich, soft, and easy to eat.
So I came back for more.”
I'm a downy woodpecker.
As the colder months approach, high-energy food becomes valuable. Natural suet can help birds like me get the calories we need.
But there's an important difference between properly prepared suet and the grease left in your frying pan.
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗𝗡'𝗧 𝗦𝗘𝗘
Bacon grease isn't the same as bird-feeding suet.
Cornell Lab warns against offering bacon drippings because bacon may contain nitrosamines, compounds associated with processing and high-temperature cooking.
And leftover cooking fat mixed with meat juices creates another problem.
𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁, 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱'𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀.
𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗦𝗘 𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥
“You see me pecking at the food.
You don't see everything my feathers do for me.”
My feathers help keep cold air and moisture away from my body.
When grease mats them, their ability to provide insulation and waterproofing can be compromised.
𝗔 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗻.
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗗 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗕𝗟𝗘𝗠 — 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗢𝗢𝗡𝗦
Raw suet can become rancid quickly when temperatures rise above freezing.
Rendered suet lasts better, but some products can still soften in warm weather.
That means the first cool nights of fall don't automatically make every suet feeder suitable during a warm afternoon.
𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘
𝟭. 𝗞𝗘𝗘𝗣 𝗖𝗢𝗢𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗕𝗜𝗥𝗗 𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦.
No bacon drippings, turkey pan juices, or leftover meat grease.
𝟮. 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗦𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗦𝗨𝗘𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥.
Save raw suet for reliably freezing conditions. Use a reputable, weather-appropriate rendered suet cake that stays firm when temperatures are milder.
𝟯. 𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗞 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗥.
If the suet becomes soft, greasy, moldy, or smells rancid, remove it. Clean the feeder before offering fresh food.
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗜𝗙𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗣𝗦
“I don't need what's left in your frying pan.
I need food that's safe for me—and feathers that can keep doing their job.”
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.
Before hanging the first suet feeder of the season, check what's in it.
