Farmers Branch, Texas considering bird watching park

Farmers Branch is located just north of Dallas, TX. Mayor Tim O'Hare recently suggested that a wooded area near the Farmers Branch Historical Park could become a bird watching park. Residents would be invited to place bird feeders in the park as a community project.

The preserved wooded area would benefit a future light rail station area, and the restaurants and shops that are expected to develop in the area.

Scott's Recalls Wild Bird Food

Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. is keeping an eye out for birds and bird-lovers.

The Marysville-based lawn and garden giant’s Scotts Co. LLC subsidiary this week launched a voluntary recall of five varieties of suet wild bird food products over concerns that they might contain peanut meal bought from Lynchburg, Va.-based Peanut Corp. of America’s Blakely, Ga., plant. Peanut Corp.’s products have become the center of a federal probe into a salmonella outbreak that has involved scores of illnesses and several deaths, including two in Ohio.

Peanut Corp. originally only recalled peanut butter and paste but recently expanded efforts to include all peanut products made in Blakely since Jan. 1, 2007, Scotts said. The company said salmonella not only can affect animals but can pose a risk to humans who handle products tainted with it. No illnesses have been reported and products from the Blakely facility are no longer being used, Scotts said.

Read the full press release and get the list of recalled foods here.

Birdwatch Radio Covers Bird Watch America

The latest podcast for Birdwatch Radio is up and features interviews given at Bird Watch America 2009.

Peanut Suet Safety During Salmonella Peanut Butter Recall

Four different suet manufacturers have commented regarding their nut flavored suets and the salmonella peanut butter recall. Currently, peanut butter produced from Peanut Corporation of America is at issue for salmonella contamination, not commercial brands that many of us have in our cabinets. Here are what four manufacturers have to say:

C & S states on their website that their nut suets are safe due to their testing and that they do not use any of the recalled industrial peanut butter products from Peanut Corporation of America.

Pine Tree Farms grinds their own nuts and since just the nuts themselves are not part of the recall, their suet is safe.

Woodpecker Products said that their suet is safe because they do not use peanut butter from Peanut Corporation of America.

Heath Manufacturing is also says that their suets are salmonella free since they do not use any of the recalled peanut butter products.

Wildlife Sciences says that their suet products do not contain peanut products affected by the current recall.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology said that if you do not know where the peanut butter ingredients came from in your flavored suet cake, don't feed it to birds. They did offer that since consumer grade peanut butter is currently not on the recall list, making your own peanut butter suet using ingredients you have on hand should be safe.

An excellent recipe to offer customers comes from writer and naturalist Julie Zickefoose's blog.