Attract More Birds To Your Garden With This Simple DIY Treat They'll Love

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Whether you are a backyard birder who enjoys watching birds flit about your yard or an avid gardener hoping to reap the benefits birds bring, odds are you are always on the lookout for ways to attract avians. One of the easiest and most effective ways to do so is to offer them a free meal. A simple and inexpensive way to do that is to create a DIY treat known as Marvel Meal that many species of birds absolutely love. Best of all, you likely already have all the necessary ingredients for this little delicacy in your pantry.

There are actually a number of variations for making Marvel Meal. However, all of them utilize some sort of high-fat ingredients. This is particularly important as a supplement for birds during the winter months, when they are needing a higher amount of calories and natural food items are harder to find. Marvel Meal can also be presented to birds in a variety of ways, making it a great way to attract birds without a feeder, or as an addition to your existing feeders.

The first step to making your own Marvel Meal is to gather up the ingredients. While recipes vary, they all call for peanut butter. Most suggest creamy, although some utilize crunchy. Next is suet, which is basically cow fat, or a substitute such as lard or shortening. The purpose of these items is to provide high calorie fuel. The next two ingredients are cornmeal and white flour, neither of which should be self-rising. Those four ingredients are all that is necessary to create a basic Marvel Meal. However, many birders add ingredients such as oats or sunflower seeds for additional nutrition.

Once all the ingredients are on hand, you can start combining them together in a large mixing bowl. Start by mixing 1 cup of shortening with a cup of peanut butter. Then, mix in 1 cup of flour and either 3 or 4 cups of cornmeal. Once those ingredients are mixed thoroughly, you can add in any extras, such as seeds. At that point, the Marvel Meal is ready to use as is or it can be placed in the freezer and divvied up for later use. Either way, any unused portion should be sealed and stored in the fridge or freezer until you need it.

There are a number of ways in which you can feed your homemade Marvel Meal to birds in your yard. One of the simplest methods is to simply slather it on tree limbs or trunks. The bark of the tree will hold it in place while the birds feed. You can also fill any holes or knots in the tree with Marvel Meal. Dabs of Marvel Meal can actually be put on any solid object where birds are able to find it.

Another method is to fill a suet log feeder with Marvel Meal then hang it from a branch or shepherd's hook. To improve the chances of birds finding it during the winter months, it's a good idea to hang it in or near berry bushes that attract birds. One other option is to freeze the Marvel Meal into blocks that can then be place in a wire suet feeder or cut into chunks and put in a tray-style feeder. Regardless of the method used, keep in mind that Marvel Meal, like bird seed and any other natural food stuffs, can spoil. So, it is important to keep feeders clean and change out the unused portion regularly.