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The Suet Bird FeederAdding a suet bird feeder to your backyard bird feeding station is one of the best investments you will make. All kinds of birds are attracted to suet including chickadees, jays, nuthatches, titmouse and woodpeckers. Less frequent visitors will include yellow-rumped warblers, mockingbirds, bluebirds, kinglets, and catbirds.Types Of Suet Bird FeedersThe ready-made wire basket is the most basic suet feeder. It cost about 5 bucks, the suet cake to fill it is 1 to 2 bucks. Hang this from a tree or post.The major drawback to this suet bird feeder, however, is its vulnerability to pests such as grackles, starlings, squirrels, and raccoons. Pest-Proof Suet FeedersThere are a couple of pest-proof suet feeders available on the market. These feeders are a bit more costly, but well worth the investment if you don’t want to feed every suet eater on your block.
One such suet bird feeder is the log suet feeder. This feeder is a log about a foot long with several holes bored into it. Rather than suet cakes, this feeder holds short, cylindrical-shaped suet called suet plugs. Clinging birds such as nuthatches, chickadees and woodpeckers have no problems crawling about this feeder to get at the suet; however, large birds like grackles and starlings truly struggle. I have found that the suet log feeders works best when you also offer suet cakes in a wire basket. Pest birds are like water--they will take the easiest route.
Give them suet in a wire basket and they’ll ignore the more challenging suet log feeder leaving it available for the clinging birds.
The cage that surrounds the suet basket is designed so that small birds like chickadees and downy and hairy woodpeckers have no problem slipping in and tagging the suet. Big pest birds like grackles and starlings can not fit through the cage. The key to the caged suet basket feeder is the distance from the cage to the suet basket. To be an effective deterrent to starlings and grackles, there should be at least 8 to 10 inches. If this distance is shorter, the big birds will stretch their heads through the cage and reach the suet. Be sure to verify this prior to purchasing a product as many companies have not designed the caged suet bird feeder with enough distance. Your best bet is likely to be the newly re-engineered Droll Yankee caged products coming in March of 2007.
Keep in mind that you should NEVER purchased a caged suet basket feeder that does not come with a lifetime warranty. I have been witness to one stubborn starling that would flutter underneath the feeder, take a peck and then float down. I raised the feeder again and again to see how he'd react. It wasn't until I reached thirty feet that the bird gave way.
Keep in mind that this is a rare occurrence and if it happens, you might better just give him his bit. The feeder is still effective in that one stubborn starling will no prevent other birds from feeding. Just tip your hat to him!!
Other Types Of Suet Feeders There are other methods of offering suet. Take a look at the pic to the right. This is called a tail-prop suet feeder, so-called because of the long wooden tail that extends beneath the suet cage.
Woodpeckers love this feeder because they will use the extension as a prop, something their tail is designed to do. The bird on the left demonstates this beautifully. And by the way, this tail prop feeder happens to hold two suet cakes rather than one.
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Another style of pest control suet bird feeder is the wire basket surrounded by a cage. Though this is the most expensive option available, it can be quite successful. 
With an upside suet feeder you place the suet cake in the bottom of the feeder. Cinging birds like Woodpeckers and Nuthatches can cling to the bottom while large birds like Grackles and Blue Jays struggle to reach the suet.
