This is "For the Birds"

Psalm 50:11
I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine.

The photo above was taken by my father, Charlie Binkley.

My mother, father and our friend, Betty, photograph birds on a regular basis. Betty recently purchased a lens, Big Bertha, that has me salivating to have one as well. It's a Tamron 200-500 mm (gosh, I hope I got this right) and it focuses in at 8.2 ft. Now, for you non-photophobes (like me--I just point and shoot), know that this thing will take a photo of a bead of sweat off your face from a LONG way off. Betty measured it and it is 21" long. Man, could I use this during sports season!

But, I digress. They have really been feeding and photographing the birds as of late and I recently got an email from Betty with my mother's recipe for BIRD SUET. The birds seem to love it and I wanted to share it with you all.

• Chop in small pieces one orange and one apple, peeling of both (don't forget to wash because of insecticides on fruit
• Small box of raisins or equivalent
• 1/2 cup Dry Roasted, unsalted peanuts, optional
• 1/2 cup lard or shortening, lard would probably be better
• 1 cup of crunchy peanut butter, they make the extra crunchy and you could eliminate adding any extra peanuts
• 1 cup black oil sunflower seed, or other wild bird seed would work
• 1/2 cup of yellow or white corn meal
• 1/2 cup of flour.

Put peanut butter and lard in microwave for about 25 seconds, it makes mixing the two together and if it is runny it will make adding the other ingredients easier.

I'm told by both mama and Betty that the birds LOVE this stuff. And, by feeding them, we are being instruments of God (see verse at bottom). Imagine!

Here is a photo taken by my mother, Lois Binkley. I thought this little bird just looked like he was in the middle of a party. I guess he didn't realize that these were concrete birds.

And, I LOVE cardinals so these are two of my favorites!

Red Cardinal - Photo by Betty Kelley

Red Cardinal Eating - Photo by Lois Binkley

Matthew 6:26

Look at the birds of the air;

they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,

And yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not much more valuable than they?