New Product: Suet Nuggets

Many different types of birds will eat suet, the nutritious high-fat food that's especially welcome during these cold wintry times. But ground-feeding birds, such as robins, catbirds or mockingbirds, can't reach standard suet cakes that are hung from feeders. You now can make life easier for them by using Nuggets, which are pellet-like pieces of suet that can be placed on ground level.

The Bird House now offers three different varieties of ready-to-feed Nuggets. This gives you choices, depending on which types of birds that visit your backyard (or which types you'd like to attract in the future).

Peanut Nuggets are ideal for woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees and wrens. The main ingredients are rendered beef suet, roasted peanuts, raisins, corn, oats and soy oil.

Berry-Flavored Nuggets are a favorite among fruit- and insect-eating birds. They contain the same ingredients as Peanut Nuggets, but additionally include blueberries and cherry flavoring. Watch mockingbirds, robins and bluebirds gobble up these!

Troubled by squirrels? Try Hot Pepper Nuggets. They contain a dose of red chili peppers. Squirrels aren't fond of the spicy taste, but most birds have so few taste buds that the hot pepper doesn't bother them. The advantage with Hot Pepper Nuggets is that you can offer them on ground feeders or toss the morsels onto patios or pavement. As for the squirrels, they'll take one bite and learn to leave the food alone.

You can serve Nuggets straight up or mix them with your favorite seed or seed blend.

Several different types of feeders will accommodate Nuggets. The pellets can be offered in regular tray feeders or in peanut feeders. We don't recommend using Nuggets in standard tube feeders because the openings are too small.

To keep starlings and larger birds from devouring the Nuggets, we have a special covered feeder with ports at either end. The holes are large enough to let bluebirds, chickadees and wrens through, but starlings and grackles can't fit. The sides of the feeder are transparent, so the small birders can see the treats inside. The feeder can be hung from a shepherd's hook or a tree limb.

Give Nuggets a try. They provide many options for bringing birds to your backyard.