Snacks for birds and humans always appreciated

 

Culinary Thrill Seekers, this week we’ll share snacks for both birds and humans.

World Migratory Bird Day is May 13 and Museum of the Gulf Coast will present a free family day based on this big deal. Sabine Woods and Sea Rim State Park are places birders come to see spring migration and Pleasure Island has a new bird blind to enjoy. Come to the museum from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to learn about topics including native plants to attract birds, keeping cats indoors and lights out during migration and preventing bird strikes.

Wanna become a Texas Junior Ornithologist? I met Cheryl Johnson who has created a series of handy, fun books. Go to www.cheryljohnsonauthor.com to begin spotting birds at parks, refuges and your back yard. Johnson photographed and wrote “My Texas Bird Book” and other joys.

Roseate Spoonbills are one of my faves of Port Arthur. The book says these pink beauties weigh about 3 soccer balls, are the size of a side table and love shrimp (me, too). They love our Gulf Coast marshes and are born with white feathers that turn pink because they ate all that shrimp.

The author makes learning fun with comparison images noting Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks are the size of your backpack and Scissor-Tailed Flycatchers weigh about as much as a golf ball. It's from Bird Nerd Publishing.

Johnson’s range of talents includes fun journals and frameable art and mentioned she built her own bird blind to take better photos in her own yard. She shared this recipe to attract them. Smear it on pinecones and sticks to nourish your feathered friends:

Suet (For Birds)

Equal parts:

Peanut Butter

Lard

Corn Meal to thicken

You can add:

Seeds

Oatmeal

Peanuts

Dried Fruit

But DON’T add Honey (not good for the birds)

Freeze the extra and keep it in fridge.

 

               Pop Cause – Ever get misty over a popcorn commercial? I’m already emotional over buttery/savory/sweet popcorn and am happy to have it as a meal. Enter Prospector Popcorn, with most of its employees identifying as having a disability. They’re creating crunch out of Prospector Theater in Ridgefield, Connecticut. For Mother’s Day, consider limited-edition flavor Superstar Crunch, made for tastebuds across all spectrums. This Classic Caramel is “Star” studded with colorful candy coated chocolate chips, brownie goodness, and cosmic blue sparkle, makers say. I super enjoyed it and suggest you look them up at www.prospectorpopcorn.org to see how super they are.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie feeding friends and birds. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com