Peanut butter is a sandwich spread made of crushed peanuts. With its health benefits and rich and creamy consistency, many people love coating it on their favorite snacks, sometimes even eating it alone.
Birds are also fond of munching on peanut butter. It doesn’t just serve as a tasty treat for birds; the fat it contains also aids birds to get through the cold months. You can help keep the birds warm during winter, and at the same time have fun bird watching, by making a peanut butter log. Follow the instructions below on how to make one:
- Prepare the materials. You will need ½ cup of peanut butter, ¼ cup of lard, a branch (about 3 inches in diameter), a dowel (optional), wood glue (optional), a saw, a drill with spade bits, and a roll of cord in making a peanut butter log for birds. Make sure to select a branch with firm wood. This ensures that the log will last for a long time.
- Cut the branch. Saw the branch so that it measures about 9 inches long. You can make the length longer, but remember that the branch gets heavier with every additional inch. So before deciding to make a long peanut butter log, consider the strength of the cord you’re going to use, and the place where you’re going to hang the log.
- Drill the suspension hole. Bore a hole about ¼ inches through one end of the branch. Slip your cord through the hole, and knot the ends firmly to make a loop.
- Drill the feeder holes. Drill holes on the branch that measure about 1 ¼ inches wide and 1 ½ inches deep. The holes should be about 2 ½ inches away from each other to make room for footing. Increase the distance between the holes, if you plan to put dowels on the branch as perches. To make holders for the dowels, drill holes that measure about ¼ inch wide below each feeder cavity.
- Make the perches. You can skip to the next step, if you don’t plan on making perches on your peanut butter log. The purpose of perches is to add gripping places for the birds. To make a perch, cut the dowel into several pieces, about 5 inches in length. Then, put wood glue into the small holes you’ve drilled earlier, and set in one dowel for each hole. Let the glue dry.
- Prepare the peanut butter. Heat the lard in a pan or microwave for about 30 seconds. Then, put peanut butter in a bowl, and add the lard. Mix the two together. The lard will make it easier for birds to swallow the peanut butter. You can also substitute lard with cornmeal or grit.
- Put the peanut butter in the feeder holes. Using a spoon, put the peanut butter mix in the feeder holes. Place as much peanut butter in the holes as you can to make it compact.
- Hang the peanut butter log. After you’re done filling in the feeder holes with peanut butter, hang the log on a post or tree branch.
When choosing a place to hang your peanut butter log during the summer,
make sure that the area is shaded to prevent the peanut butter from
melting or going rancid. You may also keep the log in your house at
noon, if you see that no birds are feeding on it. Just bring it out
again in the afternoon, when the climate is cooler.