Choosing The Right
Wild Bird Seed

Supplementing with wild bird seed during spring is especially important because natural foods have not had time to mature. By spring most natural foods have been eaten and the new crops won't be fully mature until fall.

Spring feeding is important to permanent resident birds and others that have been using your feeders during the winter. Providing feeders in the spring also helps migrant birds that arrive early to breeding areas. As a bonus, migrating birds will stop in your yard if they see other birds feeding. If nothing else, they may stop for a drink of water if you offer a Bird Bath.

In late spring most birds begin nest building. Extra energy is needed at this time so full feeders are really appreciated. Males are defining and protecting territories and females are nest building and preparing to lay eggs. Both need extra energy for these tasks. You may be rewarded from all this activity by witnessing the rearing of young. Watching the babies fledge and learn how to feed themselves is the ultimate pleasure.

The reason feeders are popular with birds is they provide a ready source of food saving the effort of a search. Birds are economical eaters. They choose the best food available . . . that is, the seed they like.

While full feeders will draw birds, preference tests have shown that just a few seeds score high with birds. What does that mean? If you are feeding a mixed seed with a lot of filler you may experience a lot of seed scattering. That is, birds are scratching through the mix searching out the desirable seeds and discarding the rest. It may result in money needlessly spent.

Most seeds packaged as wild bird seed have a good nutritional value. So offering the most widely-accepted seeds is perhaps the best choice. It may be helpful to take the following into consideration.

Preference for wild bird seed is different for birds that feed above-the-ground than it is for ground-feeding birds. So the first thing to do is determine what birds you would like to attract. Then buy the type of bird feeders those birds are known to frequent. Next, fill it with wild bird seeds they are known to favor.

The following table provides a list of some of the birds that commonly come to feeders. The list distinguishes between above-ground and ground-feeding birds. We listed them according to their feeding preference; however, some of them will feed in both places.

BLACK OIL SUNFLOWER SEED. This is the wild bird seed standard. It is rich in fat and protein and provides twice the calories per pound as other seeds. The shells are thin and easy to open. Black oil sunflower is a favorite seed of chickadees, finches, cardinals, titmice and grosbeaks.

STRIPED SUNFLOWER SEED. This is a seed favored by larger birds. It is a larger seed and has a thicker shell than black oil sunflower. The birds that prefer striped sunflower are those that are able to open the shell like jays, titmice and woodpeckers.

HULLED SUNFLOWER SEED. This seed is the answer if you are feeding near a patio, sidewalk or balcony because it leaves no mess. Hulled sunflowers are the seed meats without the shells. They are available in different sizes with the most common being sunflower chips. Hulled sunflower seeds are favored by most birds, especially finches and Pine Siskins.

SAFFLOWER SEED. This seed is very nourishing and can solve problems. If you have squirrels or blackbirds dominating your feeders offer safflower . . . they don't like the taste of it and will leave your feeders alone. The good news is that cardinals, titmice, chickadees and finches do like it.

NYJER SEED. (also known as Niger and Thistle). Niger seed is favored by birds with small bills like goldfinches, house and purple finches, and pine siskins. This seed is not the same as our native thistle, it is a sterilized imported seed. The sterilization doesn't not affect its nutritional value, but rather keeps it from germinating. This seed is quite small and requires special feeders.

WHITE MILLET SEED. This seed is high in protein and has a hard hull. It is the most popular wild bird seed for attracting ground-feeding birds like juncos, doves, towhees and sparrows.

RED MILLET SEED. This seed is a great ingredient to add to your custom mix. It is another favorite of ground-feeding birds and is quite difficult to find.

CANARY SEED. Not just for canaries, birds such as finches, siskens, buntings, juncos and other small birds love it, too. It's a great staple to add to your own seed blends.

CORN. Finely cracked corn is good for feeding backyard birds because it is smaller and easier to eat than whole kernels. Birds that eat cracked corn are doves, cardinals, jays, sparrows, grackles and starlings. Whole corn kernals and dried ear corn can be offered to ducks, game fowl and squirrels.

PEANUTS. Not a wild bird seed, rather peanuts are high protein and fat legumes. Peanuts are a real favorite, highly nutritious and are perfect for year-round feeding. Offer them in a variety of forms including shelled peanut bits and pieces and peanuts in the shell. Titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and jays love shelled peanuts. Jays and titmice are quite fond of peanuts in the shell.

To learn more about the different types of feeders visit Wild Bird Feeders.

After visiting a number of websites and earnestly reviewing the best option for low cost and convenience we're pleased to recommend eBirdSeed.com for all your bird seed needs. That's where we get our wild bird seed. Not only do they offer quality products, convenience, good prices and customer service, they're also really nice folks to do business with. That counts for us . . . maybe it does for you, too!

Do you know the average backyard may be visited regularly by 15 or 20 different bird species. A bird friendly backyard can attract up to 60 more. To attract the greatest number of birds just provide at least one each of these habitat elements . . . food, water, cover and a place to rear young. Watching bird behavior brings us closer to the amazing wonders of nature.

Do you know what birdscaping is? It is landscaping for birds -- an important step in drawing more birds to your backyard and doing a little extra to help nature. Visit Bird Gardening to learn more.