Birdseed Wreaths - For The Birds .... Reviewed

The three birdseed wreathes have been hanging on the large cedar for several weeks now, long enough to get an idea of which one is the most popular with the birds ...

For all three recipes and their how-to's, see HERE .

Wreath Number One... (the light coloured one on the right hand side)

The little birds are really enjoying this one, flocking around it and pecking away. It seems to appeal to the wee little birdies the most. Is also still looking solid and very pretty hung up on it's green ribbon.

 Wreath Number Two

This is the one that was made with both peanut butter and suet. Sadly, it broke in half about a week after it graced the tree.
The top half I left hanging on the tree while the bottom half, mostly still intact, was placed on a large tree stump in amongst the Salal ...
All kinds of birds really seem to enjoy this one, seem to like pecking around on the ground, in amongst the Salal, for all the tasty little seeds that scattered everywhere.

Next time I make this, I will add the same amount of peanut butter but will add about 1/2 cup more of the rendered suet, the 'glue' that holds it all together, to try to prevent it from cracking in half again.
However, it may also simply be that I did not mix the seeds and suet together long enough or well enough, as we can see that the extra suet settled in the bottom of the pan. Perhaps it just needed more stirring?

Turns out that Ruby Tuesday also liked the peanut butter and suet covered seed, which I noted as I scooped up all the bespeckled evidence from the yard.

Ruby Tuesday in front of the bird feeder cedar.
The low growing greenery around the cedar is called Salal.
Is what the florists use in floral arrangements and stays green year round.

The Salal grows provides the wee birds with a nice, safe place to feed.

Wreath Number Three...

This is the larger wreath, made with suet alone, from Martha Stewart's recipe. Shown here with the bird perched on it.

It is holding it's shape well, staying strong and solid. One side seems to be getting a wee bit more attention from the birds and so it needs to be given a bit of a turn ....to keep it from getting too weak/thin that close to the ribbon.  

It seems to appeal more to the mid sized birds than the wee little ones ....



In summery...

I would say that all the wreaths are a hit. They are pretty to look at, fun to make, and all three appeal to the birds.

I do not know the names of the birds in my yard, but I can say that all three wreaths are getting their fair share of attention, though different kinds of birds seem to prefer different wreaths best.

In the end, I ended up choosing to make the two suet ones rather than the flour one, as it seems to me that suet and nuts are likely better for the birds than flour and syrup. A more organic, bird-friendly choice.

I make the peanut butter one the most, wreath number two. Yep, even though it fell apart. It seemed to be the one that most all of the birds went to the most. However, I think it wins with only the smallest of margins ....

Therefore, pick any one of these great recipes, make it ....  and they will come ; )

For a later update and to see how I overcame the breaking/cracking, please see HERE!  

I have since started to add a nice layer of roasted peanuts on top of wreath #3
which the sapsuckers and woodpeckers seem to really appreciate. 

(at the bottom of the bundt pan)

These gorgeous Arbutus berries are a huge hit with all the birds.