Choosing the Right Bird Seed

Choosing the right kind of seed can be tricky. A lot of people ask, “Why pay more for seed in a specialty catalog or at a specialty store when you can get the same thing cheaper at the grocery store?” First, it’s not the same thing! Second, you get what you pay for - the good stuff is going to cost you a little more, but your birds will truly love you for it!

Although you may find seed at your local grocery store for less money, this seed will not be as appealing to birds. These cheaper seed mixes often contain a lot of “filler” seed. This is seed that takes up room in the bag, is inexpensive, but is undesirable as part of a bird’s diet. Birds can be finicky; in fact, you will notice that birds pick through the seed mix to find what they really want. Birds often will not eat this filler seed, and instead flick it onto the ground. Premium seed will actually give you more edible seed per pound than other inexpensive seed mixes.

There are many kinds of seeds to choose from, but a few basic types of seeds can satisfy most birds. Buying several varieties of seed in bulk and mixing them yourself can actually save you money and you’ll be feeding your birds only the seeds they love!

Black oil sunflower seeds win the award for Best All Around! Black-oil sunflower seeds will attract the widest variety of birds to your yard. Cardinals, grosbeaks, nuthatches, and finches will all eat this gourmet seed. The thin shells are ideal for small birds to open and they are very rich in oil.

Striped sunflower seed is larger than the black-oil variety, and has a harder shell. This makes it good for heavy-billed birds like grosbeaks, jays and cardinals.

Sunflower hearts are sure to be a favorite with almost all birds! The birds can enjoy the sunflower hearts, without having to fight with the shells. They also are a lot cleaner under your feeder since there is virtually no waste. The downside is that this type of seed is less resistant to moisture as they are not protected by the shell.

Safflower seed is a cardinal favorite, and is also enjoyed by downy woodpeckers and evening grosbeaks. It is a white seed that is rich in oil. The best thing about safflower seed - squirrels usually avoid it! Mix safflower seed with black-oil sunflower seed and watch the birds flock, while the squirrels stay away.

Nyjer (Thistle) seed draws a lot of smaller songbirds such as finches, and pine siskins. There are special feeders with smaller feeding ports to dispense this tiny seed economically. Mixing small amounts of Nyjer with other seeds will make this expensive seed last longer!

White proso millet has a hard shell that makes it less prone to spoiling or rotting. Use this seed for ground or platform feeding. Although it comes in a red variety, birds typically prefer the white. It is also a key ingredient in many seed mixes.

Peanuts are a special treat for large birds. Peanut hearts or whole shelled peanuts are very nutritious and jays and woodpeckers love them! Unfortunately, so do the squirrels. If you’re serving peanuts, expect a visit or two from your gray bushy-tailed friends.

There is a virtually endless variety of seeds you can feed your wild birds. Buy single varieties in bulk and mix them yourself, or buy mixes already made for you. The important thing is to read the ingredients of mixes. The best mixes will consist mostly of sunflower seeds or hearts, rather than “filler” seed. It may seem a lot more expensive, but in the long run you will save money on all that wasted seed from cheaper mixes.

Article originally posted on Duncraft

On cold and blustery winter days, it’s sometimes hard to believe that birds and other creatures can survive out there in the elements. We see birds flitting around our bird feeders, but what are they doing the rest of the time? Are they finding other food besides the bird seed from our feeders? Where do they roost at night and how do they keep warm? Most importantly, what can we do to help them?

Our backyard birds spend their winter days eating continuously. They have to, or they won’t have enough calories to burn to keep them warm during the night. Along with eating high fat foods such as suet cakes and sunflower seeds at our bird feeders, birds are adept at finding and taking advantage of natural food stores. For instance, chickadees eat conifer seeds, berries that remain on bushes, even scavenge fat from animal carcasses in the woods. Woodpeckers will forage for nuts, berries and seek out galls in trees that contain the larvae of insects or excavate the bark of trees for hidden insects and sap.

To make it easier for birds to forage wild foods and keep warm in winter, there are a number of things we can do around our yards to help out. First, don’t be so intent on cleaning up your garden in fall. Let your vegetables such as broccoli, carrots and parsley go to seed; they provide a good food source. Also flowers, such as sunflowers, coneflowers, thistles and milkweeds provide seeds during the winter if you don’t cut them back. Ornamental grasses are a good source of seeds in winter as well. Try keeping a section of your lawn un-mowed and let it go to seed. On days when the snow melts and the grass is revealed, the seeds will provide a bit of nourishment. Even weeds, such as goldenrod, will be helpful to birds if allowed to flourish and aren’t mowed down. And there are many bushes and shrubs that keep their berries long into the winter. Some, such as bittersweet are actually more palatable to birds after they’ve frozen and thawed. This way, they don’t get eaten up in the fall, but become valuable and sought-after in the dead of winter.

Shelter, particularly dense brush, gives birds a respite from cold, blowing winds during the day and a place to roost at night. If your lawn is a broad expanse of snow, it won’t help the birds. Try creating a brush pile in a corner of the yard rather than disposing of fallen leaves and dead branches. Start with a bed of raked up leaves and pine needles and then put your larger tree branches down. Then heap smaller branches on top, ending with cornstalks, grasses and other light vegetation. When the first snow falls, it will supply insulation over the pile. Birds will scratch through the leaves at the bottom for seeds and insect eggs without fear of exposure to predators and they can roost safely from owls and night time predators up inside the branches.

Article originally posted on Duncraft