Whether you make your own or buy it, a suet block in a cage-like feeder is sure to lure in nuthatches. In the winter months, when conifer seeds are sometimes scarce, red-breasted nuthatches will travel in search of food and will likely stop at feeders for a suet snack. Add peanut butter to your DIY suet mixture and white-breasted nuthatches will love it even more!
Any form of sunflower seed will attract desirable birds, but when it comes to nuthatches, serving up black oil sunflower seeds is a slam dunk. Because bully birds also seek out black oil seeds, a tube feeder with small perches is best.
If you don’t have a peanut feeder yet, get your hands on one for this upcoming cold season. Red and white-breasted nuthatches will entertain you for hours scurrying up, down and around a peanut feeder. Their favorite? Out of the shell, unsalted peanuts.
More species than just bluebirds enjoy a mealworm snack. A large portion of the nuthatch diet is insects, so putting out mealworms for them is definitely worth a shot. They don’t require anything fancy; just toss some mealworms in a shallow tray or platform feeder and cross your fingers.
The most common backyard nuthatches are white-breasted and red-breasted. Other North American nuthatches can be found in specialized habitats—brown-headed nuthatches live in the Deep South and pygmy nuthatches in western forests.
Nuthatches are caching birds. They might take seeds from feeders, hide them in trees and go back to eat them later.
“I feed nuthatches black oil sunflower seeds and peanuts right from the shell (unsalted). In winter, when there’s not much food for them, nuthatches and chickadees sometimes land right on my hand for food.” -John Pizniur, Alberta, Canada
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Jody says
How do you keep the pesky squirrels out of the suet (and everything else)?
Rhonda says
Very little that can be done about the squirrel problem. Try offering them shelled corn or corn on the cob away from the feeders. To keep them from shimming up the pole (if metal) use lard or WD40 to make the pole slick or put a baffle under the feeder.
Keep the feeders away from trees or lines the squirrels can climb to get to the feeders. Attach a spring, like a slinky toy on the length of the pole & have fun watching them try to climb. It’s good entertainment! These are not fool proof suggestions because when it comes to squirrels they are smart & crafty. Good luck!
Deb Cee says
I have all the suggested food put out ( except the mealworms which were dehydrated ) and still no Nuthatches ( Toledo, OH ) 🙁
Karen Herd says
We found that having evergreens nearby brought the nuthatches. We just moved and we have no trees nearby so we will see if nuthatches will come. We loved to watch them! (Montana) PS Putting outside near the feeder a used Christmas tree (free of harmful decorations) really brought birds! That is something we will do here too.
Susan says
We hang pine cones on the used Christmas tree that has been smeared with a mixture of peanut butter mixed with bird seeds and dried cranberries Birds love this. .
Pam Updyke says
using lard, oil or any other product on the poles for sqirrels is very toxic to the birds, please do not use that. the only suet feeder i can use for that same reaon is the one that is inside a cage. good luck
Terry says
Excuse me? Since lard is generally used to make suet cakes for the birds — how can lard be toxic to them when applied to a pole????
Barbara says
And how does what you put on the pole to keep squirrels away affect the birds? My birds don’t land on the pole.
MILTON says
MIX SOME RED PEPPER FLAKES TO YOUR MIX, I AM TOLD THAT BIRDS DON’T HAVE TASTE BUDS BUT SQUIRRELS DO. THEY ALSO DON’T LIME SAFFLOWER SEED.
Alberta Johnson says
I have anywhere from 5 to 17 squirrels , but have taken to tossing shelled corn, sunflower seeds and occasionally shelled peanuts, that helps keep them out of the bird feeders.
Linda Pries says
I sure wish I could attract some squirrels to my house. I have several bird feeders and even two separate squirrel feeders and while I might see a squirrel at my house once or twice in the year I can’t get them to stay for love nor money!
Henry says
You are so lucky! Wish I could talk my squirrels and let them know how much you wanted them! They are cute to watch though!
Jerry Standeford says
I cut all lower limbs off and the squirrels climb up the tree and drop 8 feet onto the feeder.
I put clips on my suet cages and it keeps the squirrels out but not the coons. They rake their claws through the wire and eat the suet off. I’m going to try to make some cages with smaller openings in the wire that the larger birds can still get to the suet.
Jennifer Goodwin says
There are squirrel proof suet cages. I have them and they work!
Linda B says
Try hot pepper suet and use Cole’s Flaming Squirrel Sauce mixed with the seed. The birds don’t mind it at all. Mammals are definitely bothered by it. One try and the squirrel won’t be back. Solved my squirrel problem. Be careful using it as it will make you sneeze and your eyes water.
Papa says
I don’t know about keeping them out of suet, but there are suet cakes sold with cayenne pepper in them that the mfg claims will discourage squirrels. As far as seed goes, squirrels will not touch safflower seeds. The nuthatches love safflower seeds!
Brenda says
We have 6″ stove pipe around the poles, keep it away from things they can jump from. They can’t get their lil feet around it
Papa says
Nuthatches also like safflower seeds. They always steal the safflower I put out for the cardinals!
Art Noyes says
works well with the brown headed nuthatches in our yard here in Atlantic, NC
Susan O'Connell says
Do nuthatches migrate to Florida in winter?
Debra Kempf says
No Sue! Thankfully they stay here all year round. So enjoy
Sara B says
Invest in a pole system with a cylindrical baffle. It is 100% effective. We have 4 feeders hanging, it is a veritable circus at times!
Marilyn Weaver says
Ditto on the pole system with a baffle. Our baffle was hand built by my Father-In-Law. He used tin gutter material. No critters in the bird seed.
Mary L. says
@Sara and Marilyn, I too have invested in the pole system. I can add all sorts of feeders and it has attachments which allows me to add small tree branches. Never ending variety of birds. We have our return flock of Baltimore Orioles in and out all day for their grape jelly, oranges, nuts and bark butter.
Debra Kempf says
In Bensalem PA we have white breasted nuthatches they love our suet & peanuts our suet is on our tree. They stay here all year around. They bring a lot of joy
Maggie says
I have a pair who raised a baby…we feed mealworms, suet, and a feed from the store with peanuts, they seem to love those…I have never found a good way to give the mealworms save just lying there with the other food. I love watching them, we had brown headed ones in NC, not in NW AR…
Char Rathman says
Here in Wisconsin I make our own suet, and attract all tree clinging birds, including the Pilate, which took about 4 years to entice. Wonderful diversion for cold wintery days.
Emily F. says
i don’t do suet, but have a plain bird seed mix that I add peanut halves and sunflower seeds to – it’s the peanuts that my Nuthatches come for. They will dig around and settle for other seed or sunflowers if they are all gone, but they LOVE the peanuts. Of course, so do the Chickadees so it’s a race to get the good stuff before it’s all picked over.
Brenda says
Has anyone made suet with mealworms? I’ve seen it in stores, but if possible is like to make it