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Sweet Potato Beak Treats

By

Sara Noel
Sweet Potato Beak Treats on a wooden board, topped with black soldier fly larvae and dried flower heads, with two filled suet cages behind
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I make Beak Treats a few times a year, and fall migration is always one of those times.

Migration takes an incredible amount of energy. By October, colder temperatures mean fewer active insects are available, just as migrating birds are using enormous amounts of energy to rest, refuel, and continue their journey. I like offering nutrient-rich supplemental foods that are easy to find and quick to grab.

Fall brings all kinds of movement to the backyard. I've already noticed an uptick in American goldfinches at my feeders, which fits their seasonal movement and tendency to gather in flocks this time of year.

Some birds are simply passing through the Great Lakes Bay Region, using the area as a stopover to rest and refuel. Others may linger longer before continuing south. I was still seeing rose-breasted grosbeaks at my feeders into mid-October last year. And then there are fall arrivals like my beloved dark-eyed juncos that come south to spend the winter in Michigan.

When Peak Beak Wild sent me their black soldier fly larvae, I couldn't have been happier with the timing!

I used them in my Beak Treats, along with sweet potato, birdseed, suet, peanut butter, mealworms, and native flower seeds. These cookie-inspired treats provide a combination of fat and protein along with familiar foods my backyard birds already enjoy.

I also made a suet mix for my cages and a seed cylinder with Peak Beak Wild BSFL, and I'm planning to use them in my annual Snack-o-Lantern too. 🎃

This post is a paid partnership with Peak Beak Wild.

A jar of Peak Beak Wild black soldier fly larvae, treats for wild birds
Sweet Potato Beak Treats on a wooden board, topped with black soldier fly larvae and dried flower heads, with two filled suet cages behind
Written by Sara Noel

Sweet Potato Beak Treats

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Cookie-inspired bird treats made with sweet potato, suet, birdseed, natural peanut butter, and Peak Beak Wild black soldier fly larvae: fat and protein for birds during fall migration.
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Prep Time15 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
CoursePet Treats
CuisineAmerican
Servings6 treats
Ingredients Directions Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large sweet potato cooked and mashed
  • 2 suet cakes 11.25 ounces each
  • 1 cup birdseed plus more as needed
  • 1 cup Peak Beak Wild black soldier fly larvae (BSFL)
  • 1/2 cup natural, unsalted peanut butter
  • mealworms, extra BSFL, and native flower seeds optional, for decorating

Directions
 

  1. Mash the cooked sweet potato while it is still warm.
  2. Crumble in the suet and add the peanut butter. The warmth from the sweet potato will soften the suet and peanut butter and make them easier to mix.
  3. Stir in 1 cup birdseed and 1 cup BSFL.
  4. Add more birdseed as needed until the mixture is thick and moldable.
  5. Press into silicone molds or shape into small cakes. Add mealworms, BSFL, or native flower seeds for decoration, if desired.
  6. Use the remaining mixture to fill standard suet cages.
  7. Allow the treats to cool and firm before serving.

Notes

Makes about 6 molded Beak Treats plus enough mixture to fill 2 standard suet cages. Sweet potatoes vary in size and moisture, and the warm potato will temporarily soften the suet and peanut butter. Start with 1 cup of birdseed and add more only as needed. The mixture will also firm as it cools.

Making Them

A cooked sweet potato, a store-bought suet cake, and birdseed with peanuts in a gray patterned bowl
Mashed sweet potato, crumbled suet, sunflower seeds, peanuts, and black soldier fly larvae in a steel bowl
Black soldier fly larvae piled over sweet potato and crumbled suet
Close-up of the Beak Treat dough, thick and moldable
The Beak Treat mixture stirred together in a gray patterned bowl
The mixture pressed into flower-shaped silicone molds and rectangular suet molds
Flower molds filled with the mixture beside two packed suet cages
The suet mix packed into two black wire suet cages
Two flower-shaped Beak Treats on a dish
Beak Treat balls in a white bowl

Ready for the Flock

Beak Treats topped with black soldier fly larvae and coneflower seed heads on a wooden board, with suet cages behind
Close-up of the larvae-topped Beak Treats with coneflower seed heads
Beak Treats topped with dried black-eyed Susan flowers on a wooden board
Close-up of three Beak Treats topped with dried black-eyed Susans, with dried hydrangea petals

Flock Tested

A blue jay with a bite of a Beak Treat on a log platform feeder
Beakscore Two Wings Up, Beakfluencer approved, flock tested: in collaboration with Peak Beak Wild

Flock tested and Beakfluencer approved: Peak Beak Wild black soldier fly larvae earned a Beakscore of Two Wings Up.

Sweet Potato Beak Treats recipe card with ingredients, directions, yield, and note

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