I've never found a suet combination that attracted birds to my yard, despite
using ingredients (peanut butter, bacon fat, cornmeal, etc.) that other people
here in Anchorage swear by. When I have something hanging out near my black
sunflower seed feeders, the chickadees will give it a desultory poke or two and
zero in on the sunflowers. Apparently there can be very different tastes
between local groups of birds.

Interesting recent experience. Over Christmas, my supply of Black-capped
Chickadees seemingly dried up. The same feeder hung in front of the window, but
no action, no seeds fallen beneath it to indicate a visit that I hadn't
witnessed... So yesterday, I brushed the snow off the deck, raked all the old
seeds off my covered tray feeder and restocked it and generally made the place
look more inhabited. Today - oodles of chickadees, coming to the hanging feeder,
the only thing I hadn't touched.

Chris Maack
Bird Treatment & Learning Center
Anchorage, AK
73201.3124 at compuserve.com