Feed the Birds

LOOK WHO'S COMING TO DINNER Cardinals for the sunflower seeds. Jays for peanuts. Goldfinches for thistle. Backyard birders Helen and Dick Witty know what birds love to eat, and in this guide to the tastes and temptations of North American birds they show you how to: ? Buy seed economically-and avoid mixes bulked out with grains most birds don't like ? Recycle nutritious treats-from bacon drippings and overripe bananas to stale potato chips and leftover piecrust ? Build a Suet Box, a Hanging-Log Feeder, a Screen-Topped Feeding Table ? Care for an injured bird, distract squirrels with corn on the cob, provide a dust bath ? And more Helen Witty, winner of three prestigious Tastemaker Awards for her cookbooks, and her husband, Dick Witty, live on a wooded half-acre on the eastern end of Long Island. So far they've identified 55 species of visitors to their yard, including a brown creeper, a bald eagle, and a rose-breasted grosbeak. DEBUNKED: Myth #2 Once You've Begun Winter Feeding, You Can't Interrupt It, Even Briefly Myth #3 Suet Isn't a Suitable Summer Food Myth #6 Peanut Butter, If Fed "Straight," Can Choke Birds to Death Myth #8 Untimely Feeding Can Keep Birds from Migrating When They ShouldWitty, Helen is the author of 'Feed the Birds' with ISBN 9781563050855 and ISBN 1563050854.