Birdseed Wreath for Woodpeckers & Sapsuckers

themarigoldgc
Jan 2, 2024
4 min read

Making birdseed wreaths has become an annual winter tradition. I make one just a bit before Christmas, and then a couple more times in the new year... one a month through the wintriest months (or as needed).

I used to make these for my birds on the acreage, plus loads more to sell at the Christmas Pop-Up's, now I just make about 3 of them per winter, for my own birdies.

a birdseed wreath that all the birds really like.

The birdseed wreath I traditionally make appeals to all birds, the big guys and the littles, too. Lots of nuthatches, chickadees, finches, and sparrows.

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup suet

1 cup peanut butter

4 cups really good quality birdseed

Melt the suet slowly in a medium sized pan, stir to keep it from burning or browning.

Add the peanut butter to meld with the suet.

Add seeds and cornmeal, mix well and remove from heat right away to keep the cornmeal from cooking.

Make a small ring out of branches to help keep the wreath from cracking in half when the birds peck at it. (optional)

Pour half the seed mix into a small bundt pan, place the twig ring on top, fill up the pan with the rest of the seed mix. Push down to make sure the seeds are firmly in place.

Place in fridge or freezer to set.

To remove seed wreath from pan, run hot water over the side of the pan till you feel it loosening.

Add a ribbon or string, hang outside on a fence, wall, tree, or post.

If you can, go to a local birdseed supplier (not a big box store) as they will carry some of the best seeds for your local birds.

If you prefer to shop on-line, try these birdseed mixes from Amazon.

This premium seed, or this peanut-free seed if someone has allergies, or you just want a really good seed with no filler seeds. Great for all sorts of birds.

(*The filler seeds in the cheaper blends are the ones that the birds scatter to the ground and germinate as weeds in summer.)

This bag of just black oil sunflower seeds is one of my favourites to use as all the birds (everywhere) love them, the big and the small.

Here is the link to the one for just peanuts that I used below for the sapsuckers and woodpeckers.

This sturdy 4 cup bundt pan is perfect for this recipe and the one below. You can also often find them at thrift stores. The ones at the dollar store tend to have too large a hole in the middle, which is fine for cakes, but will cause the birdseed wreath to fall to pieces very quickly. You want the hole to be small so that that it stays together well... plus it looks prettier.

You can also use this pretty mint coloured pan to make a bigger wreath! I do this often, as well. Just make it with 6 cups of birdseed instead of 4, double the suet. If you bought a large wreath from me, this is the size I used.

*Disclaimer. As an Amazon affiliate, if you purchase an item(s) from the links, I get a wee small amount of money to support my blog. It does not cost you any extra to purchase through my link than if you went to that item on your own. Many thanks for your support!

The makings for a birdseed wreath for woodpeckers.

Just over a week ago, I saw a lovely woodpecker looking for treats inside my gutters ,so I decided to make a special wreath, just to entice him back to the yard. This wreath will appeal mostly to the larger birds, like woodpeckers and sapsuckers. I have the other seeded one for the little birdies.

For this wreath, I used just 2 things. Lots of suet and lots of peanuts.

3 cups of suet
4 cups of peanuts

These are the quantities I used today, but you can use less, if you like. You can also add peanut butter to the suet, as above for the little birds. Knowing that sapsuckers/ woodpeckers like suet best, I wanted to use a lot, and 3 cups is what I just happened to have on hand. There is not right or wrong amount.

Add a ring of branches to stabilise the wreath.

I put 2 small rings made of mockorange twigs to keep the wreath from breaking in half when the birds start pecking away at it. You can use grapevines or any kind of slender shrub branches. I have seen others use a ring made from a metal hanger (can be reused), but I have just found it easier to use twigs. bio-degradable.

The branches, vines, twigs will be brittle. If you want to take the time, you can soak them in warm water for an hour or two to soften them up first. This would probably be a great idea if you were making many of them. Now that I am no longer making these for the Christmas pop-up, I just twist them up. They do not have to be perfect circles, just need to hold things together.