Making a suet log bird feeder

For the past few years, I’ve used an unusual bird feeder made from a log. This is how I give my backyard birds suet to help them get through the winter.

Strictly speaking, suet is a specific kind of animal fat. However, when bird lovers use the term, we’re usually talking about fat (either animal or vegetable) mixed with seeds, nuts, and other ordinary bird food. Suet for birds is sold in various shapes and sizes, or you can make your own.

Of course you can buy countless suet feeders, so this project is pretty much unnecessary. But it is fun and easy! And I secretly believe that the birds appreciate a “restaurant” that is more like a tree and not a manufactured contraption.

My old suet log had been more or less destroyed by birds and squirrels, so I got to work making a new one. The first step is to choose a log. For this project, the specifics don’t matter a whole lot. Choose whatever wood you have around, in whatever size makes sense to you.

I had some willow branches that my neighbor gave me for firewood, and one of those was about what I wanted. It’s about three inches in diameter and I cut it to one foot long. Be sure to select a piece that is thick enough to allow you to drill some big holes in it.

Next I marked on the log some places for the holes. I made four, fairly evenly spaced holes on different sides of the log. You can have as many holes as you want, pretty much wherever you want. Unlike you and I, birds can eat upside-down, so you can have suet near the bottom of the log.

The small challenge for this project if you don’t have much experience is drilling the large holes. I made them one inch in diameter, though again the exact size isn’t important. Depending on the type of wood that you have, the drilling can be tough, so I recommend drilling small holes first, say a quarter inch. (Don’t forget safety glasses when using power tools.)

Then you can use a spade bit or a fancier Forstner bit to go back in and drill out the full inch-wide hole. I drilled about an inch deep into the wood, deep enough to fit a good plug of suet but shallow enough for the birds to reach. Don’t drill all the way through!

Because this was somewhat of a collaborative project with my elementary school son, we did some of the drilling with an old brace and bit, which is a kind of hand drill (here’s an example). It’s slower but also kind of cool, generating curly wood shavings as it cuts. Later I finished a few of the holes with a power drill.

Once the holes are finished, you can sand them lightly if they have rough spots (though honestly I’m not sure the birds care). Then pack them full of suet. I haven’t found it sold in a round shape that will fit easily into the holes, so I cut it off a block and smoosh it in there. It’s greasy and messy, which is sort of the point because, well, it’s fat. I keep the suet in the fridge and take a little out when I need it so that it softens enough for me to shape it.

(By the way, suet is generally considered a winter food because the fat gets icky in the summer heat. Some suet is sold as “year-round” but I haven’t tested it.)

Once I had a log filled with suet, the last step was to hang hang it up. I screwed an eye hook into the top and hung the feeder with string from a shepherd hook. You could instead do a more rigid mount onto a post so that the log didn’t swing.

One final note: birds like suet, and so do squirrels. If you’re not interested in sharing with furry critters, try to position the feeder away from trees. I also added this squirrel baffle to keep them from climbing up the pole.

It may take a few days or weeks for the birds to discover the feeder (just like people with a new restaurant). Over time, though, you’ll have a popular and unique spot for winter dining.

P.S. — The suet log isn’t my idea. You can find other tutorials here and here, or even buy one already made.