Here's a recipe for a fatty bird cake for feeding our feathered friends over the coming winter months
(Sorry:sorry: - it's not actually a cake made of birds like it sounds!!
)
A selection of nuts ie:
Sunflower seeds; Pine nuts; Almonds; Peanuts - crushed into small pieces so the birds don't choke!
Millet
Block of dripping/lard
Mix up the seeds and nuts in foil trays/yogurt pots/etc. Melt the fat in a saucepan and pour over the seeds to bind together. Place in the fridge to set then pop outside and watch the birdies come a-flocking!
:stork-bab
If you make more than one tray, it keeps quite nicely in the fridge for a few weeks.
You can try moulding it into shapes to hang from trees/washing lines too:
Let the mixture set until it is gooey and maleable - but not hot! Have some loops of string cut ready (to hang them with!), scoop out the mixture and either mould into balls (adding string) with hands or press into cookie cutters to make fun shapes!
Remember to leave fresh water out, birds still need to drink.
Also, cheese, bread, fruit, and cooked vegetables will be very welcome, but clean up regularly so you do not attract rats!
Use any seeds or nuts you have, but don't use salted nuts and avoid adding dessicated coconut as it swells in the birds stomachs!