We had a young customer in the store today who purchased a new WBU Peanut Pantry and a bag of peanuts in the shell, hoping to attract Blue Jays. He was very excited about his new feeder so I decided to do a post just about his new feeder.
The Peanut Pantry is a way to offer peanuts in the shell to your birds. Jays will be the primary customer, though I've seen a Tufted Titmouse take a peanut and have watched a Downy Woodpecker try to shell a peanut while it was in the feeder.
Peanuts are high in fat and protein, providing a good energy source to the birds especially in the winter. Never feed birds salted peanuts.
The jays can empty this feeder in no time. When they're really active, I've seen them empty it in less than 30 minutes! I use this feeder as a special treat for the jays, putting it out in place of another feeder on my Advanced Pole System for the day.
NOTE: This is a good time to pull a feeder that needs cleaning from your birdfeeding station. Rotating feeders is an easy way to get in the habit of regularly cleaning your feeders.
The jays are fun to watch when they use this feeder. They'll take a whole peanut, kick it back into their crop, and take another nut before flying off. A benefit of the jay's caching behavior is that you won't find a lot of peanut shells under your feeder.
Wild Birds Unlimited stores also sell a peanut wreath for offering peanuts in the shell to the birds.
Peanut feeding is a fairly recent trend in the US. If you're looking for something new to feed your birds, you may want to consider peanuts in the shell. In a future post, I'll share photos and information on feeding shelled peanuts to the birds.
In the meantime, like this little Red-breasted Nuthatch, remember to DREAM BIG!!
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