Seed Bird Feeder: How To Feed Your Garden Birds The Correct Seed With The Correct Feeder
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The seeds you offer in your seed bird feeder will decide the type of feeder you need to use and the types of birds that will be attracted to your garden. Lets take a look at your options for seed, feeders and the type of birds you can expect to attract.
There are basically eight feeds and feed options that can be catagorized as follows:
Thistle and Nyjer
This seed, which is usually imported from India, is a tiny black seed that has to be fed using special feeders becuase the seed is so small. The feeder to use with this type of seed will be a tube feeder, a tray feeder or a feeder with a very fine wire mesh. You can expect to attract birds from the finch species who especially like thistle and nyjer seeds.
Black Oil Sunflower Seed
This is my seed of choice because I belive it attracts the most species and offers the birds a protein rich source of food. It is a small back seed that has a very thin shell that can be simply opened by the birds. It is fed, usually, using a tube feeder and attracts goldfinches, cardinals, chickadees, titmice and jays.
Striped Sunflower Seed
This black and white striped seed is a somewhat larger than other sunflower seeds and contains less fat and protein. The shell is quick hard and hence more difficult to open – which results in few species being attracted to it. Like black oil seed, it should be fed to the birds using a tube feeder and will attract nuthatches, grosbeaks and house finches.
Millet
There are a few different types of millet feed but the most popular is proso millet which can be fed by istelf or mixed with other types of feed. It can be fed using a tube feeder or a regular tray feeder and will attract cardinals, buntings, juncos, bobwjites and sparrows.
Hulled Sunflower Seed
This is option if you want the least mess and easiest feed for the birds. As the sunflower seed as been hulled the birds can easily get to it and wont leave a pile of hulls under the feeder for you to clean. It is fed using a tube feeder and will, becuase it is easy for the birds to feed, attract all the regular birds that eat sunflower seeds plus woodpeckers, wrens, mockingbirds and sparrows.
Cracked Corn
This inexpensive feed is basically dried corn is cracked into small pieces. It is not usually fed by itself but is included in seed mixes. It is fed using tray feeders (or scattered on the ground) and will attract blackbirds, jays, sparrows and doves.
Nuts
Nuts are usually included in seed mixes and the peanut is the prefered choice because of its high protein content that the birds love. Fed in either a tray feeder or ground scattered, this feed will attract chickadees, finches, cardinals, mockingbirds and jays.
Safflower
This is usually used when your black-oil sunflower seed is attracting too many sparrows as they do not seem to like it very much due to its larger size. Use this feed in a tube feeder and you will attract cardinals, chickadees, titmice, finches, and jays.
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