WHAT TO FEED

WHAT TO FEED

Written by Colin Bartlett

With fall now upon us, now is a good time to look at the type seed and feeders in the backyard to make sure they’re ready for winter. When it comes to bird seed there are many grains available on the market but there are only a few seeds that the birds really feed on. The preferred seeds are black oil sunflower seeds, white millet, hulled sunflower seed, peanut halves, nyjer, and cracked corn. By using bird seed that the birds prefer to feed on, it is easier to keep your feeding area cleaner and attract different species to your backyard. 

Many wild bird seed mixes are filled with extra seed such as wheat, oats, milo, and red millet to name a few and are considered filler seeds. These filler seeds are what the birds are sorting through to find the seeds that they prefer and provide the greatest nutritional value for them. The filler seed that is wasted creates extra work in cleaning and may attract unwanted guests.Providing individual seed types in separate feeders will help to keep things cleaner than a mixture as only the birds that prefer that seed will visit the feeder and feed with less sorting.

Black oil sunflower seed is the most common seed to use. It is high in protein providing energy for the birds, which about seventy percent of the bird will feed on. Even the little chickadees prefer the black oil sunflower seeds. Although the birds prefer black oil sunflower seeds they will make a bit of a mess. The reason, birds sort seeds by weight so they are looking for the heaviest seeds, as this will provide the most energy.

To provide a sunflower seed without the mess it is best to use a medium sunflower chip seed. This sunflower seed has no shell and makes very little mess. All birds feed on the hulled sunflower seed, but since it is a raw seed with no shell the bird feeder needs to have good protection from the weather to keep the seed dry.

Fall and winter is when we see many of the sparrow species visiting the feeders and is a good time to add white millet to the feeding station. Use the white millet seed in a hopper or tray style feeder and not a tube feeder, as these birds prefer to sit and feed on a platform than use a perch. The feeder should also have good coverage to protect the seed as it can clump easily when wet.

Peanut halves are high in protein and are best if they are blanched and skinless, as roasted peanuts reduce the nutritional value. Many birds feed on peanuts including the little chickadees and crush up a few peanuts for the towhees and juncos to enjoy.

Peanuts in the shell can used for the Steller’s Jay and squirrels as they like to use these to cache away for the winter.

Cracked corn is not a common seed for many birds but is preferred by the California Quail. It is best to use a ground feeder that is easy for the birds to feed on and keeps the area clean. Sparrows will feed on cracked corn but only after it has absorbed a bit of moisture, which softens to corn for easy digestion.

Providing the type of seed that birds prefer will provide you with a wide variety of birds to watch and plenty of activity in the backyard all winter.

Happy birding!!