What to Feed the Birds/More Bird Photos

Welcome back to all of my readers.

First, a couple of recent photos.  The first photo was captured by my son:

Male/Female Northern Cardinal Rare Joint Appearance 

Dark-Eyed Junco Braving The Thanksgiving Eve Storm 

In my last post on November 24, 2014 (http://dansgardening.blogspot.com/2014/11/exploring-different-types-of-bird.html), I described in detail the the most common types of bird feeders that are available, and which may be the best to use in your area and for your particular yard, etc.  Feeding and watching birds is very enjoyable and a great family activity.

This week I will try to decipher the many types of bird food available, and which are best for your area and particular birds that may be visiting your feeders.

I think the easiest way to approach this is to breakdown the individual ingredients of most bird food mixes.

Black-Oil Sunflower Seeds

The most common and arguably the most desired by many birds in North America are black-oil sunflower seeds.  These seeds are high in energy and are preferred by cardinals, chickadees, finches and sparrows.  The better (thus more expensive) blends of bird food normally have a higher concentration of these seeds.

Cracked Corn

This is a very common ingredient in bird food blends and is enjoyed by doves and sparrows.

Milo

This small round grain is one of the main ingredients in inexpensive seed mixes.  This seed is not a favorite of most Eastern birds, so it is best to avoid mixes with a high concentration of milo.

Millet

Millet is another small round grain also very common in bird seed blends,  It is somewhat more desired then milo, especially by ground foraging birds (juncos, sparrows, etc).

Nyger

Nyger seed is also referred to as thistle seed, although it does not come from the thistle plant.  This seed is imported from Africa and is a favorite mostly since it is loved by finches including the American Goldfinch, Common Redpoll, and Pine Siskin,  A specific type of feeder is required to dispense this seed (tube feeder with small ports or a sock feeder).

Hulled Sunflower Seeds

These are simply sunflower seeds without the shell and will reduce the waste under your feeder if that is a concern.  It also provides a no-work food for birds.

Safflower Seeds


Safflower seeds look like white sunflower seeds.  These are enjoyed by cardinals and normally found in the more expensive blends.  In most cases sunflower seeds will work just as well.

Peanuts

Birds in general love peanuts.  These can be fed in the shell or shelled.  Larger birds will carry off the whole peanuts, while smaller birds will prefer the shelled variety.  It is best to avoid salted peanuts or those with any coating or flavorings.

Suet

Most birds will enjoy suet, which is available in many varieties,  Raw suet can be purchased in the meat department of most grocery stores.  This can be feed by hanging outside in a mesh bag such as those in which onions are sold.  Processed suet cakes are readily available with many added goodies that birds love such as sunflower seeds, fruit, nuts, and more.  These cakes fit nicely into the wire cage suet feeders described in my last post.  When I first starting feeding and watching birds when I was 10 or 12 years old, I even made my own suet cakes by heating the raw suet and pouring it into molds with sunflower seeds. Even though it made a mess in my Mom's kitchen, I guess I was ahead of my time.    

Beef Suet

Suet Cake

So enjoy feeding and watching the birds.  Until next time.