How to Attract Woodpeckers Using Suet

You Love Your Birds. Their pretty colors and lovely sounds. They bring life to the snow capped winter morn. Beautiful sounds announce the return or retreat of Nature's earliest "frequent flyers". When the sun is it's warmest and the days are longest, your backyard haven is happily shared by family, friends and the constant parade of grateful flyers. You want the best for your birds - woodpeckers are easy to attract and keep near your haven!

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Suet Holder
• Suet Cakes

1. How to Use Suet? When initially offering suet, hang it next to the trunk of a large tree, if possible. Try to hang the suet about 5 feet off the ground, which adds to protection from predators. Many types of birds including woodpeckers look for insects in the tree bark and excavate or use cavaties in the trunk for nesting, so they will find the suet quicker. The odds for success in attracting birds to suet is improved by starting this way. Birds will land and perch on the tree bark, which makes them more secure than hanging on a swinging suet feeder. Many people find it fun to experiment with different suet varieties in different spots to see what types of birds they can attract.
2. How to Choose a Suet Feeder? Many suet feeders are available. Woodpeckers use their tails to prop themselves when they eat. This mirrors how their tails would prop against a tree trunk to steady themselves while finding and consumming insects. Suet feeders with a tail prop extending below the metal cage offer a more natural feeding option for woodpeckers. This will not stop other birds from eating but will help woodpeckers.
3. Why Use Suet? Suet Cakes offer an inexpensive alternative to using traditional bird seed or sunflower feeders. There is very little, if any waste when feeding suet. Many different suet flavors are available, making it easier to attract different varieties of birds such as woodpeckers or nuthatches. By hanging several different suet styles around your yard, it is possible to attract more wild birds at the same time. Suets can provide much needed additional energy for birds during extremely cold periods. There are even suets to appeal to squirrels, which will sometimes keep them from bothering traditional bird feeders if they are placed at a distance in your yard! (If you can't beat them - join them!) Suets are a great way to enhance the choices available to those with bird feeders already in their yards. Suets are especially appealing to those with limited space such as those who live in apartments and condos. Lastly, hanging suet is a wonderful way to introduce children to the natural world in their own backyard, leading to a lifetime of appreciation and love for nature!
4. Which Suet to Use? There are many suet cakes blended specifically to attract woodpeckers. Suet cakes with dehydrated insects, peanut pieces or even those with seed in them all seem to attract woodpeckers as well. Woodpeckers will generally land higher up in a tree and hop downward on the trunk, slowly positioning themselves to feed. When they are done, they reverse the process and hop back up, creating quite an interesting show for bird watchers!

Tips & Warnings

• Suet feeders may also be called Suet Baskets or Suet Cages
• Suet Socks are also available for more flexible feeding options
• Alternate the type suet you use, to see which flavor gives the best results