seed bird feeders | Wild Bird Seed

Wild Bird Seed - How To Fill Your Feeders And Attract The Most Desirable Birds Species

In order to attract the kind of birds you want at your bird feeder, you will need to know what kind of wild bird seed each species prefers. For example, black oil sunflower seeds will attract a variety of songbirds including chickadees, finches, cardinals and grosbeaks, siskins and buntings but won't necessarily attract orioles, tanagers and doves. Orioles and tanagers like suet and fruit, even nectar while doves and other ground feeding birds prefer corn, millet and milo. Woodpeckers, on the other hand, prefer suet.

Not only do you need to get the right kind of bird seed, but a good quality seed as well. It is best to get your seed from a high quality distributor. Those mixed bird seed bags you find at the "Big Box" stores have often been sitting around in a warehouse for a long time and are very far from being fresh. Those bird seed mixes also have a lot of filler type seed like milo and wheat that birds don't particularly like and have poor nutritional value. When offering such mixes, you'll often find that the birds will kick all the filler seed out of the way in order to get to any of the better quality seeds that remain. Even worse, the milo may attract undesirable species like cowbirds, grackles and starlings as well as uninvited squirrels and even rats.

Although these types of mixed bird seed bags are cheaper, you really end op spending about the same if not more than you would on higher quality mixes. Perhaps half or even more of

it ends up on your deck, porch or in your yard, makes a mess and is wasted. Sometimes you even have to fight the weed seed that starts sprouting in your lawn. So try to get your bird seed from a local bird shop or an easier way is from an online bird seed store.

A lot of people will buy sunflower seeds, but don't realize all sunflower seeds are not created equal. There is black oil sunflower and striped sunflower seeds. Go for the black oil. Yes, they cost a little more than striped, but black oil sunflower seeds have twice the calories per pound than striped. Also, their smaller size and thinner shells are easier to crack open for a wider variety of birds than the thicker, harder shelled striped seeds that only birds with big seed-cracking bills can eat. If you love your birds, you will give them black oil. Enough said.

Now, if you don't want to just serve sunflower seed, you can make your own mix of wild bird food. Try mixing hulled sunflower seeds, white millet, cracked corn, red millet, peanut pieces and hulled millet to attract a variety of species like doves, goldfinches, white-throated sparrows, house finches, indigo buntings, juncos, purple finches, quail, towhees, white-crowned sparrows and other species. If you don't want to make your own, try to get a mix that is labeled "No Waste". These mixes have no filler seeds and are usually all shelled so there is virtually no waste and less mess with no hulls piling up below the feeder.

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Wild Bird Seed: How To Fill Your Feeders And Attract The Most Desirable Birds Species
By Taylor Turnstone
In order to attract the kind of birds you want at your bird feeder, you will need to know what kind of wild bird seed each species prefers. For example, black oil sunflower seeds will attract a variety of songbirds including chickadees, finches, cardinals and grosbeaks, siskins and buntings but won't necessarily attract orioles, tanagers and doves. Orioles and tanagers like suet and fruit, even nectar while doves and other ground feeding birds prefer corn, millet and milo. Woodpeckers, on the other hand, prefer suet.

Not only do you need to get the right kind of bird seed, but a good quality seed as well. It is best to get your seed from a high quality distributor. Those mixed bird seed bags you find at the "Big Box" stores have often been sitting around in a warehouse for a long time and are very far from being fresh. Those bird seed mixes also have a lot of filler type seed like milo and wheat that birds don't particularly like and have poor nutritional value. When offering such mixes, you'll often find that the birds will kick all the filler seed out of the way in order to get to any of the better quality seeds that remain. Even worse, the milo may attract undesirable species like cowbirds, grackles and starlings as well as uninvited squirrels and even rats.

Although these types of mixed bird seed bags are cheaper, you really end op spending about the same if not more than you would on higher quality mixes. Perhaps half or even more of it

ends up on your deck, porch or in your yard, makes a mess and is wasted. Sometimes you even have to fight the weed seed that starts sprouting in your lawn. So try to get your bird seed from a local bird shop or an easier way is from an online bird seed store.

A lot of people will buy sunflower seeds, but don't realize all sunflower seeds are not created equal. There is black oil sunflower and striped sunflower seeds. Go for the black oil. Yes, they cost a little more than striped, but black oil sunflower seeds have twice the calories per pound than striped. Also, their smaller size and thinner shells are easier to crack open for a wider variety of birds than the thicker, harder shelled striped seeds that only birds with big seed-cracking bills can eat. If you love your birds, you will give them black oil. Enough said.

Now, if you don't want to just serve sunflower seed, you can make your own mix of wild bird food. Try mixing hulled sunflower seeds, white millet, cracked corn, red millet, peanut pieces and hulled millet to attract a variety of species like doves, goldfinches, white-throated sparrows, house finches, indigo buntings, juncos, purple finches, quail, towhees, white-crowned sparrows and other species. If you don't want to make your own, try to get a mix that is labeled "No Waste". These mixes have no filler seeds and are usually all shelled so there is virtually no waste and less mess with no hulls piling up below the feeder.

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feeding wild birds | Wild Bird Seed | backyard

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Wild Bird Seed For Backyard Use
By Barbara E. Volkov
Wild bird seed for our backyard use will entice more birds to our feeders. This bird seed can consist of a number of assorted seeds that will attract some unusual wild birds that come to our backyard. Many homeowners are enjoying bird watching today than ever before. We can use a few wild bird feeders and place different seeds in each one to invite more varieties of birds.

The seeds used depends on the type of birds we would like to see. Once we know what birds like which seeds we can determine how we want to use our birdfeeders. The following is a list of some of the seeds and which birds enjoy them for your convenience.

Black-oil sunflower seeds are considered as the number one best seller. Black-oil sunflower seeds are high in protein due to the amount of meat it contains. The outer shell is very soft for the smaller bird to handle. Our winged friends that enjoy this sunflower seed are the chickadees, finches, goldfinches, and nuthatches. The high oil content of this seed will keep the birds dry and warm in the cold winter months.

Striped sunflower seeds are not as popular as the black-oil seeds and are cheaper to purchase. The smaller birds usually find it harder to crack the harder shells of these seeds. The wild birds known to like this tougher seed are the blue jay, cardinal, and woodpecker.

Cracked corn seed is usually used to attract the larger bird species. Those that enjoy it are the eastern bluebirds, jays, pheasants, and some game birds. Using cracked corn all year in one of your bird feeders will probably attract some birds that do

not use some of the other feeders. Living in Southern California as I do, the smaller birds will eat everything except the cracked corn.

Millet is a large part of wild bird seed mixes because it is tiny and round. This feed is used is tubular feeders, hopper feeders, and tray feeders. Some of the backyard birds that enjoy millet are quail, juncos, sparrows, doves, buntings, bobwhites, and cardinals.

Thistle seed is a tiny black seed that is imported from Ethiopia and India and is also known as Nyjer seed. These seeds are so small it is better if you use them in a feeder that has wire mesh surrounding it. Some of the species that enjoy Nyjer seed include the house finch, purple finch, and goldfinch.

Safflower seeds are large seeds that have a white coating around it. They are often used instead of black-oil sunflower seeds because they will not attract the grackles, house sparrows, or starlings. The safflower seed attracts all the sames birds as the black-oil sunflower and will also attract the jay, titmouse, grosbeak, and cardinal.

Nuts that are used as bird seed are generally peanuts and peanut hearts. These nuts can be sold separately and are also found in some of the wild bird seed mixes. Some of the feathered friends that enjoy the nuts are cardinals, goldfinches, chickadees, nuthatches, mockingbirds, titmice, and woodpeckers.

Wild bird seed mixes usually consist of black-oil sunflower seeds, millet, striped sunflower seeds, and one or two other types of seed and they will attract most species of bird. They are available in most grocery stores, wild bird centers, and the wild bird suppliers at many pet centers.

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Feeding Birds All Year Round Is A Joy
By Mumby
Feeding birds year round is not only enjoyable but also helpful to some feathered friends who may need a little help during certain times of the year. Hard-pressed parents busy with nesting benefit from feeding, as do their young who often come to the feeders too. Feeding birds can attract some of the more aggressive birds to your yard as well, which may mean that your poor cat is besieged by mocking birds. Remember thought that with a large group of birds comes a large group of bird-droppings. Feeding birds is both entertaining and rewarding. Whether seedeaters, hummingbirds or fruit eaters are in your yard, you can offer each a little something special.


Feeding birds is an enjoyable and rewarding pastime during West Virginia's cold and often snow-filled months. The movement, color and life of the birds outside the window help remind us that spring really isn't too many months away.

Feeders made of plastic and ceramic will be the easiest to maintain this way; wooden feeders should be disinfected with something other than bleach so the wood won't fade. Feeder placement can also play a role in window strikes. In some instances,

hawks will drive birds into a window to stun them and make them easier to catch.

Feeding birds is a commitment and just like cleaning up after a human meals, you must be willing to clean up the area where you feed the birds. Feeding birds is a popular backyard activity in Florida--a 1985 survey revealed that 66 percent of all respondents had fed birds or other wildlife around their homes in the past year. There's certainly no easier place to introduce children and adults alike to the joys of bird-watching than at a backyard feeder. Feeding birds can be very enjoyable and lots of fun. There are many types of feeders and each will attract different birds.

Feeding birds is the quickest way to attract birds to your yard.
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