The Insects Are Here! Introducing Oregon
Feeder Insects & Suet Blocks.
Have you ever thought about
sitting down to a scrumptious meal of fat and
insects? Well, that is exactly what our breeding
bird population is craving at this time of year.
As winter wanes, most birds move to a diet higher in
protein. Even seed eating birds will look for
insects to bring them into prime breeding condition.
Since 1975, Oregon Feeder
Insects has been raising their own insects (Musca domestica - The
House Fly) using a purely vegetarian diet. Their
insects are clean enough for human consumption - check out the
Explorers Club Expedition Banquet for a taste - and are used by
many zoos, aviaries and hobbyists. OFI uses
ground and whole insects in various stages of their growth because
they provide different nutritional values while in their larvae,
cocoon or adult form.
Why all the fuss over these
insects? It is known that most birds see in the
ultraviolet spectrum and insects are highly visible in
ultraviolet. OFI uses a much higher percentage
of insects in their suet blocks making them an irresistible food
target for insect hungry birds. Because
OFI knows that only the best premium ingredients will significantly
increase the health benefits of their products for the birds, their
insects are combined with only fresh beef kidney suet purchased
directly from the meat processing plants and rendered at their
factory. They add highly refined natural Rosemary Oil as an
antioxidant to lengthen shelf life.
As you read about the suet
block varieties below, consider these additional benefits - the
high suet and insect content of these blocks makes them much less
palatable to "pest" birds like starlings and
grackles. They also hold very little appeal for
squirrels and rarely even need to be hung out of the reach of the
furry raiders. As a result, the suet blocks last
much longer and attract only the desirable birds to your
feeder.
OFI offers 4 suet block
varieties:
1)
Oregon Suet
Block™: rendered
beef kidney suet, ground Musca domestica. The
original blend and industry standard, it appeals to all types of
woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, etc. It
does not attract starlings and is virtually squirrel-proof.
2)
Skipio's
Peanutbugger Block™: rendered
beef kidney suet, ground Musca domestica, peanut butter, peanut
hearts, dried whey, calcium from ground oyster
shell. This block will attract chickadees,
wrens, cardinals, titmice, etc.
3)
Cascade Summer
Suet Block™: rendered
beef kidney suet, ground Musca domestica, ground millet and calcium
from ground oyster shell. The ground millet
provides several benefits - (a) it will not germinate; (b) it's
easier to eat and higher in fiber and (c) it is high in lecithin, a
natural emulsifier that makes this cake a good choice in hot
weather. The ground millet is far better for the
birds than the corn meal used in most dough based no-melt suet
cakes.
4)
Appalachia
Suet Block™: rendered
beef kidney suet, ground Musca domestica, calcium from ground
oyster shell and ground corn. This recipe is
based on the Miracle Meal approach. It is good
for bluebirds and is known as "catnip for
woodpeckers". This block is also great crumbled
on open platform feeders.
OK, now for the bottom
line. Keep in mind that these blocks will last
longer and give far greater nutritional benefit to the birds in
your yard. At $4.99 per block it sounds
expensive; but, due to the selectivity of the birds eating it,
you'll find it worth it in the long run. Your
yard will become a special haven for healthy, breeding
birds. Give it a try - I'm sure you'll be
pleasantly surprised!!
